One Last Chance
by cksalamander
Summary: In times of desperation, hope can come from the most surprising of places. Modern AU. Co-written by RealTerminal. -[Back in production!]-
1. Not the End Yet

Cinder was terrified.

To say the past several months had been difficult was an understatement. Application after application, interview after interview, and always... nothing. But suddenly, weeks after applying with no response, she had finally received an email from one of the jobs she had applied too. To be contacted out of the blue, after such a long stretch of silence... Cinder held but a sliver of hope. But that hope did not come without fear. What if it was not good news? What if it was another rejection? No, this time was different. This time had to be different, what was the point of contacting her after so long? She had done her research, spent days preparing and practicing for the interview, which had gone well, or so she had thought, and yet there had been no follow up. Until now. She held out hope.

And it was dashed yet again, a feeling of despair settling upon her as she read.

 _Dear Cinder Fall,_

 _We have received your application for the Office Receptionist role with Amadeus Archives, and appreciate you taking the time to express your interest. Although we are impressed with your skills and accomplishments, we have decided to pursue other applicants whom we believe more closely match the requirements for the position and needs of the company._

 _Thank you for your interest in Amadeus Archives and best wishes in your future endeavors._

 _Regards,_

 _Yatsuhashi Daichi_

Her last application... rejected. So much for celebration.

For eight long, excruciating months Cinder had been searching for a job, going through every job website, newspaper article and building with a _Help Wanted_ sign in the window she could find, and she ended up coming out with... exactly what she had before. No job, no friends, no family that she knew of... no soulmate... nothing. Everything she cared about was already gone, and she was barely past thirty. _What an accomplishment_. Sure she had the education and skills to get practically any job she wanted, but all of that experience meant nothing when no one would hire her.

So there Cinder was, sitting on her lumpy bed, in the shamefully decrepit room she called her apartment. The wallpaper was dull, some of it even beginning to peel off the walls. Both the ceiling and carpet in the main room were stained, the former due to water spots, the latter from something Cinder could not even identify. And the kitchen... it was a bit of a disaster. There was a sizable crack in one of the windows, the stove did not always work properly, and a few of the tiles were cracked - bad enough that Cinder once cut her foot on one. What a _fun_ day that was. Though notably not as much as the day she found cockroaches in her bathroom vanity. At least the hot water worked... most of the time.

Cinder sighed. Ever since her last interview she had been cooped up in her apartment. She needed some fresh air. Unfortunately going outside was not as easy as it used to be. Thanks to her... extensive disfigurement, the burns that dominated the left of her body, from head to toe. Not even her eye was spared. That at least could be hidden, but the rest...it was far too impractical, people always stared. She resorted to avoiding the public as much as she could. But this was needed. Lifting herself from the bed, Cinder opened her door, and stepped into the hallway.

As bad as the apartment itself was, the neighbourhood around it was worse, not that Cinder really cared at this point. People were constantly loitering in the hallways and stairwells of the building - most likely selling or maybe even _doing_ drugs - she never stuck around long enough to find out. The streets were littered with homeless people, but thankfully they never bothered her. There were also a fair amount of prostitutes around the area, most of which never paid her any attention. They could probably tell that Cinder did not have any money to spend on them. But there was one - this quirky little redhead named Nora - who lived in the same building as her.

Ever since Cinder moved into that shithole of an apartment, Nora had been there. The friendly whore who had been her only source of joy in this dire chapter of her life. It was a slow process, with Nora initially trying to _pick her up_ when they first met, before learning she had nothing to offer her. So she decided to give Cinder what she really needed - a friend. It started with simple greetings, asking how her day was, anything to try to get her to say more than a few words. But over time Nora gently poked and prodded until she finally started to open up more.

There were also several times where Nora bought her coffee, which was a nice gesture, but it took Cinder an embarrassingly long time to figure out that it was also a big gesture. Just like Cinder, she was not in the best financial situation, so buying anything for her showed that she cared enough to dip into her own savings for her. But there was always a nagging feeling in the back of Cinder's mind that said Nora was only pitying her. Of course she accepted it, because it's all she had, but a part of her did not entirely believe her friendship was real.

Unfortunately, whether it was real or not did not change her situation. Cinder had been good with conserving her money for the past eight months, but her bank account was slowly running dry. If she was lucky, she probably had a month or so of rent and groceries left. After that... well, that was it. At this point, running out of money was inevitable, so maybe it was time to start thinking about... _going out on her own terms_. As much as Cinder wanted to ask Nora for help, she could not do that. She had been enough of a burden on her.

As Cinder continued walking down the street, idly gazing around at the various buildings, avoiding the passing stares, she noticed a _Help Wanted_ sign in the window of a small bar.

 **The Perch**

Cinder sighed. _It was just another rejection waiting to happen_. She thought as she resumed walking.

Then she stopped.

After persistently searching for job for _months_ , Cinder could not pass up on an opportunity like that. It was at least worth a shot. So she timidly entered the building.

The first thing Cinder noticed was how dimly lit the room was, which was a stark contrast compared to outside. The only real sources of light were the various neon signs scattered around the walls and the deep red under-glow of the bar counter. Due to the time of day, it was rather sparse, aside from a few patrons between the booths and the bar as well as two staff members. One was behind the bar - a tall grey-haired man, slight stubble along his jawline, wearing a dark grey short-sleeved button-up. The other was serving a group of guests in one of the booths - a short-haired woman dressed in tight black dress pants and an equally-tight black button-up. Cinder could also see a rather elegant tattoo on her left arm of what looked like a bird. After handing the guests their drinks, she turned and noticed the raven-haired woman staring at her.

The waitress approached Cinder with the empty tray. "You lost or something?"

"I, um... saw the help wanted sign in the window..." Cinder managed.

"I see. Well the boss is out handling a delivery right now, so leave your details and she'll call you when she gets back." The waitress informed.

Cinder nodded. "Okay... do you... have a piece of paper?"

"Give me a sec." The waitress said before approaching the bar. "Grab me a pen and pad will you? We've got a chick here about the job."

"Sure thing." The man responded as he reached under the counter and passed the short-haired woman what she asked for.

"Here." The waitress held out the paper and pen for Cinder, which she took.

Cinder timidly smiled, writing down her name and scroll number before passing the items back to the waitress.

"Alright, Raven should be back in a few hours." The waitress told. "She'll give you a call when she's free."

"Thank you." Cinder nodded before turning to leave.

"Not up for a drink?"

Cinder shook her head. "I have something else I need to do."

"Suit yourself." The waitress shrugged. "See you around, Cinder."

On her way home, Cinder stopped by the liquor store, spending a pretty penny on an old favourite brand of wine. If this interview did not go well, rent and groceries would not matter for long.

Nothing would.

Unfortunately, once she arrived at her apartment, she had nothing to do but wait until she was called. Maybe she should take a nap... no, no that was a bad idea. What if she answered and sounded sleepy? Or even worse, what if she slept through the call altogether? Might as well just prepare and practice until then.

After a couple hours of preparation, Cinder's scroll rang from across the bed. Scrambling to catch it, she picked the device up and stopped, taking a deep breath before answering.

"Hello?"

"Is this Cinder Fall?" Came a smooth voice from the other side.

"Yes." Cinder responded, as calmly as possible.

"My name is Raven Branwen, the owner of the bar you visited today." The woman explained. "I just want to ask a few important questions, just formalities before an actual interview."

"What... sort of questions?" Cinder hesitantly wondered.

"Just about health issues - mental or physical - work history, transport and criminal history." Raven answered.

Cinder flinched at the words. _Criminal history_... Sure she was never convicted of anything, but that was a topic she would _much_ rather not discuss. She was nervous enough. "Very well." Was not the response she wanted to give, but she had no choice. Risk another breakdown, or risk her last chance at a new start.

"Alright. Let's start with health then." Raven started. "Do you have any mental health issues?"

Probably depression. "None that I know of."

"Alright..." Raven started, maybe pausing to write it down. "Vernal mentioned you had some sort of mask covering the left side of your face, do you mind if I ask what it's for?" She inquired.

That was a question Cinder dreaded, but she could not lie. "I... sustained an injury some time ago... It... damaged the left side of my face, so I prefer to keep it covered."

"I see." Was all Raven responded with. She could probably sense that it was not something Cinder wanted to talk about. "What about job history?"

"My last job was at a software company, I was head of engineering... there for six years..." Cinder informed.

"Any restaurant jobs?"

"I worked at a few bars during college..." Cinder answered.

"Perfect. Do you have access to transportation?" Raven asked

 _Perfect_. Cinder liked the way that sounded. "No... but my apartment is only a few blocks away from your bar... so I can walk."

"So you're close by, that's good." Raven acknowledged. "Last question; any criminal history?"

And there it was. The one thing Cinder hoped to the Maidens she would never have to speak of again. But... if she was even going to have a chance of working for this woman, it was something she had to tell her... as much as she wanted to bury it.

"Cinder?" Raven's voice pulled Cinder from her thoughts.

"Sorry!" Cinder burst. "It's just... hard to talk about..."

"No problem. Take your time."

After a couple minutes of silence, Cinder took a deep breath. "I was... falsely accused of arson at my prior workplace."

* * *

 _Relax. You've done this dozens upon dozens of times._

 _In... and out._

Cinder would get this job. She was sure of it... or at least _extremely_ hopeful.

As much as she expected to break down during her call with Raven - especially during the explanation of her... _incident_ \- she was able to stay calm... somehow. Maybe it was due to only sticking to what happened, rather than... what she lost. Cinder shook the thoughts from her head. _Don't focus on that now, you have an interview to prepare for_. She told herself.

Reaching into her closet, Cinder pulled out the clothes that she used as her _interview outfit_. It was the only outfit she owned that was really nice enough for anything formal. Comprised of form-fitting black dress pants and a dark red long-sleeved dress shirt. It was nothing extravagant, but combined with a black silk glove for her left hand, it covered a lot, which was always a plus. Once dressed, she made her way to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Normally Cinder would not even bother with makeup - for obvious reasons - but this was an important occasion. Though she did not own nearly as much as she used to, it was still enough. She eventually settled on a small amount of black eye shadow and some ruby red lipstick. As for her hair, though it was not nearly as long as it once was, she was still able to style it in a way that allowed her to cover her area around her left eye - if only partially.

Once Cinder was done with her hair, she headed out. Like the prior day, it was a short walk of only a few blocks. As usual, there were passing stares, but she was both too excited and too nervous to care. As she approached the bars front entrance, she stopped. Sure, this could be the interview that turned her life around, but at the same time, if it did not go well... that was it. End of the line.

No pressure.

Cinder took a deep breath. _You can do this_. She told herself before entering the building. As expected, the bar was dead quiet, which made sense, as it was not even noon yet. The woman from last time - Vernal - was cleaning the booth tables, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Upon seeing her, Vernal smiled - or more smirked.

"Welcome back." Vernal greeted. "Raven's in her office. Follow me."

Leading her to the end of the bar, Vernal lifted the hatch for them to pass under. The short-haired woman opened a dark wooden door, revealing a small hallway to what appeared to be an employee break room. A single wooden table in the center, a few lockers along the back wall, and several shelves full of various supplies. There were also two doors - one labeled as the bathroom, the other as the exit. Directly to their right was another door labeled _Manager_ , which Vernal provided a few swift knocks on.

"Come in." Came Raven's voice from the other side.

"Hey, you've got nothing to worry about." Vernal assured before opening the door for the other woman.

Cinder timidly nodded. "Thank you." As she slowly walked into the office, Vernal quietly closed the door behind her. Sitting at the desk in front of her was Raven, who looked a lot more intimidating than she sounded on the phone. Wild jet black hair, pale complexion - much like Cinder - and from what she could see, she was fairly muscular - at least enough so to be able to throw people out of the bar if she needed to.

"Cinder Fall?"

The younger woman nodded.

"Have a seat." Raven gestured to one of the wooden chairs in front of her desk. Cinder gave no verbal response, simply nodding again and choosing a chair to sit in. "Just to start, don't worry about being all formal and such, I'm not just after an employee, I'm looking for a coworker."

Cinder blinked. "Oh, um, okay..." Not exactly what she was expecting.

"This is a small business, we work in close quarters, with a lot of downtime, so getting along is more important than just being good at the job." Raven explained.

"I understand... having a close coworker that you don't get along with can be quite troublesome." Cinder recalled.

"We're family, so we know how to deal with each other, but it might take time for you to adjust." Raven continued. "Vernal can be rough, but she's just been through shit, Qrow's an ass but he'll treat you well, Yang's the one you'll have first shift with, she's the good one, talkative, but she doesn't drink on the job or bring girls behind the bar."

Vernal she already met, Qrow must have been that man behind the counter, and Yang... wait a minute. "That I'll have the first shift with...?"

"Right now we've had three people apply, the first two I didn't bother calling because one was sixteen and the other had gang tats and hit on my daughter. You haven't raised any flags so far, so I'm giving you a shot, a trial shift with Yang, see how you do." Raven clarified.

Cinder hesitated. "Not even my... _incident_?"

"You're not the only one with a mark on the record Cinder, life doesn't get better piling shit on the unfortunate."

Cinder placed her hand over her gloved one. "That it does not..."

"I have to ask though, this is a bar, drunks are drunks, people are going to pay attention, they're going to stare, they're going to comment, they're going to ask, can you handle that?" Raven inquired.

Cinder nodded. "I have been forced to deal with people staring, commenting, and asking since I received these injuries..."

"Good, I don't mind if you defend yourself against people getting handsy, but it's hard taking verbal assault to court." Raven grimaced, sighing. "Sorry this... is a pain to get through but I don't want to hire someone who doesn't understand the situation properly."

"I understand... You shouldn't hire someone who isn't prepared for the job." Cinder added.

"And so far I haven't, I don't expect you to be perfect Cinder, I just want you to come in prepared." Raven stressed.

"I will." Cinder "As I said over the phone, I worked at a few bars during college... Some people are nice, others... not so much..."

"And we try and get them out of the bar before they become problems." Raven added.

"Of course..." Cinder agreed. "But I must admit, I may not be able to _physically_ do that with some people..."

"Do you have issues with your left side?" Raven asked.

"I... prefer to keep it covered, and the skin is rather sensitive... so when it comes to physical tasks, I am not as adept as I once was..." Cinder admitted.

"Well, we don't need a weightlifter to man the bar, as long as you can perform well it's okay if you can't lug a keg around." Raven assured.

Cinder nodded. "I will, thank you..."

"Don't thank me yet, we can have the trial tomorrow, if you don't have anything scheduled." Raven offered.

Cinder's heart clenched at the phrasing, old memories burned harsh in her mind. "No... I'm... I'm free tomorrow..."

"Good, good, how does just after lunch sound?" Raven wondered.

"That's fine for me..."

"Great, it'll go for...two hours to start with." Raven explained. "If you're doing well, you stay for the full shift, and if you're still going strong, we consider it your first day."

"You're... going to hire me?" Cinder balked.

"Barring a complete disaster? Yeah, it seems pretty likely." Raven affirmed.

Cinder could not believe what she was hearing. "Even with my record?"

"Your record doesn't concern me, people end up in shitty situations, and get screwed over for them. It's a fact of life everyone here understands." Raven continued. "As long as you work hard, and work consistently we're not going to have any problems, alright?"

And there it was. After eight long months, it was finally over. Feeling a tear running down her cheek and a smile on her face, she nodded. "Alright."

"Are... you gonna be ok? Do you need a tissue or something?"

"No I'm fine, sorry it's... just been a trying time for me." Cinder smiled, wiping her eye. "This means the world to me, I promise I won't let you down." She vowed as she stood.

"I believe you." Raven chuckled. "Hey, you want a drink before you go?"

Cinder shook her head. "Thank you but... I already have a bottle waiting for me at home."

"Well, enjoy your night then." Raven bid, extending her hand, the younger woman took it happily.

Cinder smiled. "I plan too."

* * *

Cinder still could not believe it. After months of searching she finally had a job. Well, sort of. There was still a _trial_ to get through the next day, but as long as that went well, she would have a job. It was time for a celebration.

After arriving back at her apartment, Cinder changed into something more comfortable. No matter how good an outfit made her feel, it was always a nice feeling to strip it off in favour of a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. Once she was redressed, she grabbed two things off her bed - the expensive bottle of wine... and a small bottle of pills. Her _end of the line_ plan. If the interview with Raven did not go well, she was going to use them to... well, it did not matter anymore. Placing the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter, Cinder took the pills to the bathroom and flushed them down the toilet. She regretted even taking them out in the first place, and hoped she would never go that low again.

As for the wine, she figured after a successful interview, having a glass was well deserved. Entering the kitchen, Cinder grabbed a cup from the cupboard, and went to grab a corkscrew, but was unable to find it. Did she even own one? It would be rather embarrassing if she did not. After searching for a few minutes, it turned out the answer to that question was no. Cinder could not help but laugh... and cry. How sad was that? Sure, she had not had wine in... quite a while, but she never expected to not have a _corkscrew_ of all things. Though she was planning to have a single drink alone first, it seemed that was not possible anymore, so taking bottle of wine, she headed over to Nora's apartment.

Cinder was thankful that her only friend lived in the same building as her. It was nice having her so close, especially when she needed her. As she approached Nora's door, she stopped, realizing that this was the first time she had ever been there on her own before. She was always the one being sought out by the redhead to hang out, talk, get coffee... _Maybe now that I have a job I could afford to take her out sometime_. Cinder thought as she knocked on the door.

Then she heard it - a feint slapping noise coming from within the apartment... Wait, is that...

"Little _busy_ at the moment!" Came Nora's half yelled, half moaned response from inside. _Oh..._

"I'm sorry!" Cinder blurted, slowly backing away from the door as her face began to heat up, realizing what her friend was doing.

"Cindy!" Nora gasped. "Is that you?"

"Ye-Yes..." Cinder hesitantly responded, wondering if Nora could even hear her over her... _activities_.

"Just give me a second!" Nora called.

And so, Cinder idly stood outside her friend's door while she waited. She heard muffled voices inside, but was unable to understand what they were saying. A couple minutes went by before the apartment door swung open, causing Cinder to yelp in surprise as rather large disgruntled man passed her on his way out. Nora appeared in the doorway soon after, dressed in only a pink bath robe.

"Cindy!" Nora burst, throwing herself at the other woman to wrap her in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I come bearing good news... for once." Cinder half-smiled as the redhead released her.

"That's great!" Nora cheered. "Did you win something? Did you make a new friend?" She paused. "Did you get laid?"

Cinder could not help but chuckle. That girl could always make her laugh. "No Nora, none of those. But... I did manage to get a job."

Nora gasped. "You did?! Congrats!" She praised, wrapping her friend in another hug. "You wanna celebrate?"

After being released again, Cinder held up the wine bottle. "Why else would I have this?"

" _Oooh_ , fancy!"

"So? Would you like to go inside and share it?" Cinder wondered.

"Oh! No no, my apartment smells like sex, and I like yours better!" Nora chirped.

Cinder raised a brow. "You like _mine_ better? Nora are you sure you don't smoke anything?"

"Yep!" Nora grinned, turning back to re-enter her apartment. "Be right back!"

Cinder watched as Nora proceeded to strip off her bath robe, throwing it onto her bed before heading to her closet - all with her apartment door still wide open. It once again reminded her of how jealous she was of the redhead. Nora had perfect skin, sizable breasts, a shapely rear... things that Cinder only wished she had... even before the accident when she was still proud of her own body.

Soon enough Nora was dressed in something other than a bath robe - a white t-shirt and a pair of pink shorts - and she was at the door, ready to go.

"Oh, do you happen to have a corkscrew?" Cinder asked. "I learned today I don't have one..."

"Sure do!" Nora smiled before heading back into her apartment to grab it. When she returned, she handed Cinder something that appeared to be a corkscrew, but was... different. It was a small red pudgy figure, with a screw coming out of it's... oh. Of course a corkscrew _Nora_ owned looked like that.

It made Cinder chuckle. "Alright Nora let's go." She hummed as Nora locked her door and the pair left for the older woman's apartment.

Once the two arrived, it did not take long for them to get into the wine - since there was not much else for them to do anyway. As the afternoon progressed, the wine was slowly consumed, and Cinder began to realize something. Interrupting Nora while she was... _busy_ must have left her rather... _unsatisfied_ , so there was a possibility that the celebration would become _more enjoyable_ for the both of them if the drinking continued.

As the evening came, the pair decided to order some Mistrali takeout. Nora tried to pay her share, but Cinder insisted it was her treat. After all, she finally had a job, so she would not have to worry about money _nearly_ as much anymore. Plus, it helped her to start to feel normal again. After finishing both their meal and the rest of the wine, the pair sat on Cinder's bed against the wall, the older woman lying back against Nora. Neither of them said anything, simply enjoying each other's company.

Though that peace and quiet did not last very long, as Cinder felt arms snake their way around her stomach. She could not help but smile, knowing exactly what the redhead was up to. Soon enough one of those arms made its way up to her breast as Nora started trailing kisses along her neck. It was not long before her breath grew heavy, a familiar heat flaring within her. After a minute or two Cinder could not take it anymore. Turning around, she shifted herself to straddle Nora before meeting her in a tender kiss. Once they parted, the younger woman giggled.

"I love seeing you like this." Nora hummed.

"Like what? On top of you?" Cinder chuckled.

Nora just smiled. "Happy."

Cinder blinked, not expecting such a genuine answer. Rather than responding, she simply met Nora in a much more passionate kiss.

They had a fun night ahead of them.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Thanks for reading! Excited to start this one!

Your feedback fuels me!


	2. First Day

All she could see was smoke and fire. All she could feel was fear.

"Emerald! _Emerald!_ "

Cinder called her name till her lungs cried in agony, but no response ever came. Room after room, floor after floor, she frantically searched through the smoke and heat, seeking her partner in the crumbling building. She had to find her... she was not... leaving... _without her_...

 _Wake up, not here, not now_. No matter how fatigued she felt, how ragged her breathing became, she could not pass out. She needed to find Emerald, she needed to make sure she was safe, they were _both_ safe.

But as Cinder looked around the smoke filled room she felt panic grip her heart. Was she even on the right floor yet? She had no way of knowing, the area around her was so damaged, the smoke so thick, she could barely see farther than her own arm. A hacking cough overcame her as she attempted to call out once more, clutching her throat. A second attempt was no better, leaving her light headed and off-balance.

Terror overcame her senses, breathing was becoming impossible, she could no longer muster the voice to call out, her vision was beginning to blur... No. She had to go on.

But it seemed the Maidens were not on her side. Her balance vanished, and the ground rushed to meet her face, leaving her vision dimmed, and her mind reeling.

"Em...rald..."

Her world turned to darkness.

* * *

Cinder woke up in a cold sweat, afraid to open her eyes.

 _No... not again..._

Over and over again she told herself she was still in her shitty apartment, but she was still scared... scared that if she were to open her eyes... she would be back in that hospital room. Using one of her shaking hands to wipe the sleep and tears from her eyes, Cinder observed her surroundings. She never thought she would thank the Maidens that she was in her current apartment.

Attempting to turn over, Cinder was pulled back by something. Looking down, she realized there were two arms snaked around her. If not for the mumbling voice, she would have screamed.

"Fivemoreminutesren..."

Even in her current state, Cinder could not help but smile. Pressed up against her still naked back was the also naked and very much asleep form of Nora. She could not describe how relieved she was to have someone else with her after a nightmare like that. It was true that even that specific dream was not new to Cinder, but it had been quite some time since it had been so vivid. So... _real_.

Eventually wriggling free from Nora's embrace - surprisingly without waking her - Cinder fumbled for her scroll, which like the various pieces of their clothing, was on the floor. Sitting up, she turned on the device, squinting as the screen burned her eyes. She hated when she forgot to lower the brightness when she went to bed.

 **3:48 AM**

Dropping her scroll back onto the floor, Cinder sighed. After so many nightmares, she knew there was no way she was going back to sleep. What a way to start her first day. She was about to get up to retrieve a glass of water, but heard a voice from behind her.

 _"Nnngh, Cindy? What time is it?"_

Turning to face the younger woman, Cinder tried to smile. "Just before four, I'm sorry if I woke you. I... had another nightmare..." She whispered.

Nora instantly sat up to meet her friend. "What can I do-" She started before freezing. "Cindy... you're shaking..."

Cinder looked down at her hands. Nora was right, they were trembling. "It was... about the fire..."

The redhead did not verbally respond, simply pulling Cinder into a gentle hug. Even after only a minute or two, she could already feel her shaking begin to lessen. In truth, no words needed to be shared, as it was not the first time the two were in this kind of situation. Since meeting the older woman, there had been multiple occasions where the pair had slept in the same bed, and a few of those times Nora had been woken up by the whimpering caused by some of Cinder's nightmares. It tore Nora's heart asunder to hear.

"Nora?" Came Cinder's muffled voice from Nora's shoulder.

"Yeah?"

Cinder lifted herself off her friend. "What... are we?" She wondered.

"We're whatever you're comfortable being." Nora smiled. "I'm comfortable with you, being in your life, helping you smile, it's all I ever want. Whether you want a friend, boop buddy or something more, I'm here for you."

"I..." Cinder hesitated, not knowing how to respond. Part of her wanted to say she wanted more, to tell Nora that she loved her, but she could not. She knew she would be saying it for the wrong reasons. In all honesty, she was happy with where they were. "I just want to be in the arms of someone who cares."

Nora just grinned. "I think I can help with that."

* * *

Cinder loved having Nora stay over. It meant she was able to wake up comfortably - which when it came to her lumpy mass of a mattress, did not happen very often. But this particular morning was different. When Cinder awoke, it was to an unexpectedly cold bed. There was no warm pressure anywhere around her... But there was a delicious scent filling her nose and a rather out-of-tune song filling her ears. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around the room and found the source. Nora was in the kitchen, naught but a light pink apron, cooking what she guessed was breakfast. Cinder could not help but smile. _Why must that girl always cook naked?_ She wondered to herself. Stretching, Cinder pulled herself up, threw on the tank top and sweat pants from the prior day, and sleepily made her way to her friend.

Upon noticing her, Nora smiled. "Morning Cindy!"

"Good morning Nora." Cinder greeted with a smiled of her own. "What are you making? It smells delicious."

"It's a surprise!" Nora chirped. "Go sit down, it'll be ready soon!"

"Okay." Cinder nodded before heading to the table, taking a seat in one of the two fairly worn down wooden chairs. Thankfully she did not have to wait long before the redhead approached her, a plate full of piping hot food in her hand and a glass of orange juice in the other.

"Breakfast time!" Nora beamed, placing the items in front of her friend before sitting in the chair across from her.

Cinder looked down at the food Nora handed her and immediately smiled... just like the meal did back at her. The eggs made the eyes, two crispy pieces of bacon made the eyebrows, and a large juicy sausage made a mouth. It all looked mouth watering... Wait a minute. "Nora... I don't own any bacon... or sausages..."

"Nope!" Nora burst. "That's why I went back to my apartment to get some!"

The older woman quirked her brow. "So does that mean you got dressed, went to your apartment, came back, and then got naked again?" Nora gave no response, simply smiling. "Oh." And there it was again. That girl was too good to her. Grabbing the utensils in front of her, Cinder cut off a piece of sausage and took a bite. "This is amazing... but where's your breakfast?" She asked before continuing to eat.

"Oh don't worry about me." Nora waved her off. "Plus, _I already had plenty to eat last night_." She finished with a sly grin.

Cinder was lucky she had _some_ control, or else she would have spit her food all over the table when she laughed.

"Besides, it's your first day of work!" Nora continued. "I've gotta make sure you're fed and dressed before I worry about myself!"

Cinder could only smile at her friend. She really did not deserve her. "Thank you Nora..."

Nora grinned back. "Alright! Now eat up, and I'll find you an outfit!"

* * *

It was not long before Cinder had near-devoured her meal. In her defense, it had been a while since she had tasted something that good. Once finished, she deposited her dishes into the sink before heading back into the main room, where she found Nora - still very naked aside from the apron - holding a few articles of clothing.

"Ta da!" The redhead beamed, raising the pieces for Cinder to see - a black button-up, a pair of black skinny jeans and a black belt.

Cinder raised her brow. "All black?"

"Yup!" Nora grinned. "All waitresses wear black!"

Cinder chuckled. "Whatever you say Nora."

"Oh! That reminds me! Do you happen to have a black tie?" Nora wondered.

The older woman shook her head, her gaze dropping. "I don't have any ties... not anymore..."

"No matter! Not having a tie isn't gonna make you look any less sexy!" Nora gushed, to which Cinder blushed. "Now go on and get dressed, you've got work soon!"

Taking the garments from her friend, Cinder paused. "Are... you just going stand there watching?"

"Oh hush, it's not like I haven't seen that bangin' body of yours before." Nora near-purred.

Cinder just scoffed before taking the garments and tossing them onto her bed. " _Bangin' body..._ " She mumbled as she stripped off her pajamas. Nora held out each article of clothing as she needed it - underwear, bra, jeans, button-up, and finally a pair of socks.

"All ready!" The redhead cheered.

Cinder smiled. "Thank you again Nora."

"It's what I'm here for!"

A sudden chime drew pair's attention to Cinder's scroll. Picking up the device, Cinder silenced the alarm. "Looks like it's time to me to head to work." She informed before her lips curled into a small smile. "It feels good to finally be able to say that again..."

Nora held out her hand. "Wait! Not before my pep talk."

"Your pep talk?"

"Yep!" Nora answered. Stepping forward, jade eyes met amber as she took both of her friend's hands in her own. "Cinder Fall. You are a strong, kind, smart, beautiful woman, and you can do anything. I believe in you. Don't ever forget that."

Cinder had to resist the urge to tear up. "I won't Nora."

"Say it back to me." Nora instructed.

"I'm... a strong, kind, smart... b...beautiful woman..." Cinder managed.

"Again."

Cinder took a deep breath. "I am a strong, kind, smart, beautiful woman." She stated, more confidently this time.

"That's the spirit!" Nora beamed, releasing her friend's hands. "Now get to work missy!" She padded over to begin redressing.

The older woman chuckled. "Yes ma'am."

Once Nora was dressed, the pair exited Cinder's apartment. The redhead bid her farewell, but not before giving her a nice slap on the rear. _For good luck_ as she put it. A short walk later she arrived at the bar. As she approached the front entrance, her pace slowed to a stop. _You can do this_. She told herself. _You are a strong, kind, smart, beautiful woman_. After a few moments and a deep breath, Cinder entered.

Like the prior day, the bar was fairly empty, only a few people were scattered around the booths and tables. Rather than Qrow, a shorter blonde girl stood behind the bar, wiping down the counter. Upon spotting Cinder, she offered a warm smile.

"Hi there, welcome to The Perch." She greeted. "What can I get for you?"

"Hello... I'm Cinder... Cinder Fall." The raven-haired woman began. "I'm supposed to be have a trial shift today."

"Oh so _you're_ Cinder." The blonde walked around the bar to meet her. "Nice to meet you, I'm Yang, Raven's daughter." She extended a hand, which Cinder took. "Speaking of, head to her office, she has a couple things she wants to go over with you before you start your shift."

"Okay." Cinder nodded before making her way behind the bar and into the back area. Gently knocking on the manager's door, she was called in. "Good afternoon Mrs. Branwen."

Sitting back in her chair, Raven chuckled. "Never quite got there, and just Raven is fine. We aren't very formal around here."

Cinder nodded. "Of course... Yang said you wanted to speak with me?"

"Right, yes, I do." Raven acknowledged, sitting up a bit straighter. "Just a few last minute tips before you start your shift." Opening one of the desk drawers, she began sifting through it. "First of all, don't worry about being too professional, you're serving drinks to tired shift workers. No one expects you to be perfect." Pulling out what appeared to be a small rectangular piece of paper, she wrote something down on it before handing it to the younger woman.

 **HELLO**  
 **my name is**  
 **CINDER FALL**

"Sorry it's so tacky, I'll make sure you have a proper one by your next shift, so long as everything goes well today." Raven explained.

Sticking the tag to her shirt, Cinder smiled. "Yes ma'am."

Raven chuckled again. "Don't worry about calling me ma'am or anything like that. Again, just Raven is fine." To which Cinder nodded. "One other thing, listen to Yang. She'll talk a lot, hopefully it'll put you a little more at ease. And don't be afraid to ask for help, there's no shame in needing it."

After a moment Cinder spoke up. "I won't... Thank you Raven."

"Don't mention it." Raven responded. "Now get to work, I'm not paying you to just stand there." She added with a slight smirk.

Cinder offered a smile of her own. "Of course. Right away." As she watched Raven return to her work, Cinder exited her office, finding Yang back behind the bar, filling a couple glasses.

"Ready?" The blonde asked. Cinder nodded in response. "Alrighty, why don't you... take a walk around, familiarize yourself with where everything is." She suggested before bringing the drinks to a pair in one of the booths

Cinder nodded. "Okay." Looking around behind the bar, she began noting where things were. A variety alcohols lined the shelves on the wall, while an assortment of different items - glasses, cups, napkins, coasters, trays, etc. - filled the shelves beneath them. Several beer taps lined the left side of the counter, a large metal sink sat in the middle, a drying rack next to it, and a cash register sat near the end. There were also several mini-fridges behind the bar - two filled with bottled alcohol, the third with energy and sports drinks.

"What's this fridge for?" Cinder wondered, pointing at the third fridge as Yang returned.

"Oh that's for us, just in case we get a little tired on the job." Yang explained.

Cinder blinked. "Do the shifts really get... that bad?"

Yang shook her head. "Not really, but sometimes you don't wake up right in the morning and the coffee isn't enough, amirite?"

The older woman sighed. "Something I know all too well..."

"Well, feel free to take one if you need it." Yang offered.

"Thank you..."

"So, you find everything alright?" Yang asked after a few moments of silence.

"For the most part." Cinder responded. "Just one thing... where are the cleaning supplies?"

"In the back room." Yang clarified. "There's a shelf that's filled with... well, a lot of things actually. Could've sworn I saw a dildo there once, but next time I checked it was gone." Another few moments of silence went by. "Uh, anyways, the cleaning supplies are on the bottom shelf."

Cleaning supplies. Bottom shelf. Noted. Cinder simply nodded.

"Alright, well, why don't you start with..." Yang started, looking around the room until her gaze stopped on something. "Clearing and cleaning that table." She pointed to a recently vacated booth, several used glasses clustered in its center.

"Of course." Grabbing a tray from under the counter, Cinder gently flipped open the bar hatch and made her way to the vacant booth. She placed each glass onto the tray, followed by the coasters. Luckily the table was not very dirty, so it would only a quick spray and wipe down. As she placed the tray onto the bar counter, Yang began to reach for it. "Oh, you don't have to..."

Yang just smiled, taking the tray and putting the glasses into the sink to wash. "Don't worry about it, we're here to help each other out."

"Okay... Thank you Yang..." Cinder nodded before making her way behind the bar and into the back room. Looking at the shelf the blonde mentioned, the bottom row had just what she needed. Searching through the various spray bottles, she grabbed the one labeled _Table Soap_ and a cloth and headed back to the front area. As she passed Yang, the younger woman spoke up.

"You got the right soap?" Yang inquired, to which Cinder showed her the bottle. "Just making sure. I'll admit there have been a few times where I almost sprayed the tables with leather cleaner." She admitted with a small chuckle.

"I'll make sure to be careful." Cinder assured before going to clean the table. As she expected, it did not take long for the surface to shine like it was brand new. Once she was done, she put away the soap and rinsed the cloth in the back sink before returning to Yang to inquire about another task. She could not let herself become idle, lest she give the impression that she is not needed. "Yang?"

Placing the last glass onto the drying rack, the blonde turned. "What's up?"

"Is there... anything else you need me to do?" Cinder wondered.

"Uh..." Yang took a quick look around the room. "Not at the moment... but that's not a bad thing." She assured. "Sometimes we end up just hanging around until something comes up."

Cinder nodded. "Okay..." They proceeded to do exactly that. Over the next few hours, Yang served customers while Cinder cleaned up after them once they left. It was... nice. The stress she had earlier was slowly fading. Just like Raven said, Yang was quite talkative, which definitely helped Cinder feel at ease. She asked about her likes, dislikes, hobbies - though she did not have much of an answer for that one - all the standard _first meeting_ questions, but nothing about her past. Cinder was extremely thankful for that. As she was cleaning a pitcher, Yang approached the bar.

"Hey, you think you can handle yourself for a minute or two?"

Cinder blinked. "Wh...What for?"

"Just need to hit the little girls room." Yang admitted.

 _It's only a couple minutes, no problem_. Cinder told herself. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay. I can do that."

"Cool, be right back!" Yang called as she made her way to the bathroom.

And now Cinder was alone. She could already feel her stress levels slowly rising. _Calm down_. She told herself. _All you're doing is watching the bar until she gets back_. Taking a look around the room, Cinder took another deep breath. _Every customer has a drink, they shouldn't need anything from you in the next two minutes, just relax-_ Her thoughts were interrupted as the front door opened, followed by a red-haired man in a white coat entering the bar.

"Hey there blondie!" The man greeted with a smile and a wave. As he approached the counter that smile somewhat faded. "Oookay you're not who I thought you were..." To which Cinder timidly shook her head. "Did I wonder in the wrong bar by mistake?" He asked, looking around the room. "No... I'm in the right place... You new here sweetheart?"

"Y-Yes..." Cinder managed.

Approaching the bar, the man extended his hand. "The name's Roman."

Cinder shook Roman's hand. "I-I'm Cinder..."

"Nice to meet you Cinder." Roman smiled. "Gotta say, I'm diggin' the hair style, don't see people pulling off a good fringe these days."

"Thank you..." Cinder mumbled. She hoped Yang would be back soon.

As if on cue, the blonde appeared behind Roman. "Not trying to hit on the newbie are ya Roman?" She wondered.

The man in question let out a nervous laugh. "Of course not blondie, was just saying hi is all."

Yang quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? That true?" She asked, turning to the older woman, who nodded. She turned back to Roman. "Alright Torchwick, you're off the hook this time. Now go sit down and I'll get you the usual." She stated before shifting her gaze back to Cinder. "Hey, it's been a few hours, why don't you take a break. I can handle things out here for a bit."

Cinder blinked. "Oh, okay..." A break sounded nice. Though she was not particularly _busy_ , she still probably needed it. Finishing up with the glass she was washing, she placed it on the drying rack and headed to the back room. Once there, she was able to get a proper look at it. The shelf she retrieved the cleaning supplies from stood against the wall closest to the door, the sink next to it. A wooden table sat in the center of the room, four chairs surrounding it. All things she saw before when she came for her interview. What Cinder missed was the fridge and microwave in the corner of the room. There were also four lockers lining the far wall - next to the back door - each of them presumably for one of the other staff members. Picking one of the chairs, she sat down at the table.

Then Cinder realized something. What was she going to do? She could not browse the web, as she did not have the money for a data plan. Maybe she could text Nora... No, the redhead had work to do. Though it was a very _different_ kind of work, it was still work nonetheless. _Maybe I should just close my eye and relax..._ As she was lost in thought, the back door opened, revealing Vernal, a motorcycle helmet in hand. She smelled of cigarette smoke.

"Oh, hey, didn't realize you'd be here today." Vernal admitted, the door closing behind her as she opened one of the lockers - probably hers.

"G-Good afternoon Vernal..." Cinder greeted. "Raven has me on a trial shift..."

"Cool." Was Vernal's simple response. "That going alright?"

Cinder nodded. "I'm on with Yang... Her personality is very... relaxing..."

"Yeah she has that effect on people." Vernal observed. "If you're ever feeling stressed, just get her talking, you'll feel better in no time."

"I'll keep that in mind." Cinder replied. It was a fairly accurate statement. She had been quite nervous when she first arrived, but the more Yang spoke to her, the more at ease she felt... At least up until the blonde went to the bathroom and she was left alone. Luckily Roman was nice enough, but he was a little... much. Maybe she should ask for help next time...

"Uh, Cinder?" Came Vernal's voice, pulling the older woman from her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I was... zoned out..."

"What's that on your necklace you're fiddling with?" Vernal asked.

Looking down, Cinder realized what she had been unconsciously doing. She was playing with Emerald's ring again... Something she often did when she was lost in thought. "It... was my engagement ring..."

"Must not have gone too well." Vernal guessed. "That thing looks like it was tossed into a fireplace."

"Y-Yeah..." Cinder managed. Even at the mere mention, she could already feel a tear beginning to form in her eye. _Relax, she didn't know_. She told herself, trying to fight the urge to cry.

Upon noticing Cinder's face, Vernal's expression changed. "Oh shit, uh, I didn't realize it was that bad... Sorry."

Wiping away the tear, Cinder shook her head. "Don't be... you didn't know..."

Before Vernal could respond, the door to Raven's office opened, and the manager stepped into the break room. "Vernal, your girlfriend is trying to act punk again."

The short-haired woman let out a small chuckle. "Tell her I'll be right out." To which Raven nodded before leaving for the front area. As Vernal stood, she turned to Cinder. "Come on, if you're gonna work here you gotta meet her. She's around a lot, and fussy about her drinks."


	3. Evaluation

It took a couple minutes for Cinder to compose herself, but eventually she made her way out to the front area, where she found Yang and Vernal with a rather peculiar-looking girl. She had the brightest smile on her face while talking to Vernal, which to say the least, did not match the rest of her appearance. Her hair was jet black, tied up in a side ponytail, and her eyes... there was something off about them. Deep orange was definitely not a natural colour. On the contrary, her makeup definitely matched her hair - black eyeliner, eye shadow and lipstick. Her outfit was equally as... interesting. A spiked leather jacket over a faded red band t-shirt, low cut and loose enough for Cinder to see her lacy black bra. The black jeans on the other hand were fairly tight, accentuating her less-than-curvy figure.

Hesitance hindered Cinders approach, the familiar flare of anxiety clenching her heart, freezing her feet to the floor. But then Yang looked her way, and with a single friendly smile, Cinder felt her heart calm. One step after the other, Cinder made her way over, Vernal offering an apologetic smile of her own. Not nearly as bright as Yang's. But appreciated nonetheless.

"This is my girlfriend Weiss." Vernal gestured to the girl next to her. "Weiss, my coworker Cinder."

"H-Hello..." Cinder managed.

"Nice to meet you." Weiss greeted, in an accent far too refined to fit the look. She extended a hand, which Cinder took. Her nails were painted black too.

"So, now that introductions are out of the way, you ready to go babe?" Vernal wondered.

"For you, I'm _always_ ready to go." Weiss purred.

"That's what I like to here." Vernal grinned before turning to Yang. "You got things here for a bit?"

"You know I do." Yang smiled, rolling her eyes. "Now go, before you make poor Cinder here jealous." Taking Weiss' hand, Vernal led her into the back room.

"Why would I be jealous?" Cinder inquired. Weiss was quite a beautiful girl - though her style was not exactly _Cinder's thing_ \- but that did not make her jealous of the pair. "What are they going to do?"

"Probably bang in the back closet." Yang answered, to which Cinder felt her cheeks heat up. "Actually no, _definitely_ bang in the closet. I can't think of a single time when Weiss visited where they _didn't_ bang."

Cinder blinked. "So you're telling me they... _have sex here? In the workplace_?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, but it's not all bad. Sure hearing the moaning while on break can get kind of annoying, but at least they come out clean and not smelling of sweat."

"But... doesn't that break any rules here?" Cinder questioned.

"Nah, my mom's pretty chill about that sort of thing. She only seems kinda uptight 'cause she's tired a lot." Yang explained, before a grin came to her face. "Like there was this one time where someone dropped a glass, so mom heads to the back to grab a broom to clean it up, and Vernal and Weiss were uh, _busy_ in the closet." She reminisced, trying not to laugh. "Weiss had to hand her the broom _mid-session_."

As embarrassing as it sounded, Cinder could not help but smile, imagining how it must have looked.

"She's a sweet girl, Weiss." Yang continued. "Really nice, super polite, and the punk outfit rocks. But don't let it fool you, it's not even close to her natural style."

"Her... natural style?"

Yang nodded. "She used to wear a lot of white. But a little while after getting with Vernal, she kinda... _adopted her look_ if you get what I mean."

"I see..." A few moments went by, neither woman speaking, so they returned to their place behind the bar. "How did they become a couple?" Cinder asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"Well it's a long story really, but they can fill in the nitty gritty." Yang answered. "Weiss came from Atlas about a year ago, originally just tagging along with her sister on a business trip. One night she came here alone, one thing led to another, and... Vernal ended up _taking her home_ if you catch my drift. In the morning they talked, and Weiss decided to stay."

"But then... what about her sister?" Cinder wondered.

"Vernal took Weiss to her place so they could talk things out." Yang continued. "I heard it took some convincing, but eventually she let Weiss stay. Though I can't say the same about her father."

"What happened?"

"I don't know the whole story, but apparently he sent one of his employees to come get her." Yang explained. "Needless to say, he didn't get what he wanted."

"I can't imagine what that must have been like for her..." Cinder admitted, her gaze falling. "I never knew my father..."

"Oh, I'm... I'm sorry Cinder... I didn't know..."

The older woman shook her head. "Don't be, there was no way you could have." Maybe she should change the subject. "So... um, what about you? Do you... have a partner?"

"I uh... I've got someone." Yang started. "But we aren't really serious, just a casual thing."

That sounded a bit like Nora. Nothing serious, just casual. Though in their case, they were not in a relationship, just friends... who had sex sometimes.

Thankfully it was not _too_ long before the pair returned from the closet, and just as Yang said, they came out clean and smelling fine - Though Weiss was more flustered than before. Once Vernal made her drink - a vodka martini - the three women returned to work. As afternoon became evening, the bar slowly grew more crowded. Yang and Vernal still handled the bulk of it, while Cinder cleaned up after guests left. Once Weiss had finished her own drink, she approached the bar. Giving her girlfriend a quick kiss - at least it _started_ as a quick one - she received a firm slap on the rear before bidding them farewell.

After another group of guests departed, Cinder retrieved the glasses from their booth and brought them back to the bar.

"Hey Cinder?" Came Yang's voice from behind the bar. A tray of three drinks sat in front of her while she continued to make more.

"Yes?"

"You mind bringing these drinks to that group?" Yang asked, pointing to the booth she was talking about - A women and two men. "I've still got more to make for another party."

"Of... Of course." Was not the answer Cinder _wanted_ to give, but it was the one she had to if she wanted to keep this job. Picking up the tray from the counter, she turned to face the booth. _You can do this_. She told herself. _All you have to do is bring them their drinks and smile. Simple_. Taking a deep breath, she slowly approached the group, and all eyes turned on her as she arrived with the drinks. "M-Mistrali Margarita?"

The woman raised her hand. "Here." Cinder carefully placed the glass in front of her, making sure to smile as best she could. "Thank you."

"Daiquiri?"

"That's mine." The man sitting next to the woman responded. To which Cinder placed the glass in front of him, offering another smile. "Thanks."

"A-And the Screwdriver must be yours..." Cinder finished, placing the last glass in front of the second man.

"Thanks sweetheart."

"Y-You're welcome." Cinder nodded before quickly returning to the bar. That was not too bad.

Yang offered a warm smile as she passed the older woman with a tray of drinks. "Nice job."

"Thanks Yang..." As Cinder placed the tray back into the stack under the bar, she heard the squeak of the back door opening. Turning around, she was met by Raven's tired gaze. The words that left her mouth were ones that Cinder hoped she would not have to hear, especially on her first day.

"Hey, can I see you in my office?"

* * *

Cinder was once again terrified.

Getting called into the manager's office, _especially_ on the first day - technically it was not even her first day - was almost always a bad sign. _Relax, you've done nothing wrong_. Cinder told herself. Whatever this was, it would not result in her being fired... She hoped...

Following Raven into her office, the older woman walked around to sat at her desk, while Cinder chose to stand - mostly out of fear that she was about to be told to leave. A few moments went by in silence, so she decided to speak up first.

"S-So, what did you want to... see me for...?"

"Well first off, you should sit down and breath before you pass out." Raven suggested, to which Cinder did so. "Second, you're doing great, so you're hired."

Cinder blinked. Was she serious? "I... I'm hired...?"

"Well you haven't broken or burned anything, or punched anyone. That puts you ahead of everyone else on their first days." Raven explained. "So yeah, congrats."

Cinder could already feel tears filling her eye. "I-I... thank you so much... You don't know how much this means to me..."

"I've got an idea, but hold off on the thank you's for now, I need to get some details from you." Raven continued.

"W-What kind of details?" Cinder hesitantly asked.

"Bank, social security, you know, for pay and such." Raven informed. "Are you good for money or is this a dire financial situation type deal?"

"It's... the latter..." Cinder admitted.

Raven did not respond immediately, possibly considering options. "I can give you an advance if you need it... you don't seem the sort to skip town, so I trust you with that."

Cinder could not believe what she was hearing. "You could?"

"I don't want my employees living under stress, I've been there and done that, it doesn't make good workers." Raven observed.

The younger woman sighed. "I feeling I've known far too well for far too long..."

"How are you getting along with everyone?" Raven changed the subject.

"Fine so far... Vernal is blunt but she's not rude, and Yang is really nice..." Cinder offered a timid smile. "She helped put me at ease during the first part of my shift."

Raven offered a smile of her own. "I hoped as much. You'll get used to Vernal eventually, she had it rough too."

"What... happened with her?"

"Life dealt her a shitty hand, eventually she snowballed into sticking us up, I had a better idea." Raven reminisced.

Cinder blinked. Did she hear her right? "She... She tried to rob you?"

"Almost." Raven clarified. "Ask her about it sometime, she's not shy."

"I will... when she makes me less anxious..." Cinder hesitantly agreed.

"She only acts tough, just do what Yang does and treat her like anyone else, and she'll tone herself down." Raven suggested.

Cinder nodded. "I'll try that..." Then she remembered the other girl she saw during her shift. "And her girlfriend seems nice..."

"Weiss? She's adorable, tries to act like Vernal, then goes right back to the practiced rich girl shtick." Raven chuckled.

The younger woman smiled. "She did look quite good in that outfit... But... rich girl shtick?"

"Yeah, she was supposed to be heiress to the Schnee Development Corporation, but got disowned when she ran off with Vernal." Raven explained.

"Schnee Development... are you saying that's Weiss _Schnee_?" Cinder inquired, eye wide.

"Just Weiss now, and don't forget it, she gets bitchy about her name."

" _Just Weiss_... I won't." Cinder assured. "It's hard to imagine the heiress of the SDC would run off with someone..."

"Shitty parents are a theme around here." Raven grimaced.

This was probably a bad idea, but Cinder was curious. "Does that include... Yang?"

"She escaped the worst of it." Raven simply responded.

"I-If you don't mind my asking... w-what do you mean by... she escaped the worst of it...?" Cinder timidly asked.

Raven sighed. "Let's just say I wasn't the best mother for Yang, and I ended up needing help from S... someone else..."

Just by the look on Raven's face, Cinder could tell this was a difficult subject. Her eyes were full of pain... full of regret... "I'm... I'm sorry Raven..."

Raven shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry for, the past is the past, we're here now, and everything's peachy."

"I suppose that's also a theme around here?" Cinder wondered, her lips curling into a smile.

Raven laughed. "Keep moving forward and all that shit."

Cinder nodded. "Indeed, it's how I made it this far in the first place. Well, that and Nora."

"Girlfriend?" Raven guessed.

Cinder shook her head. "No, well, not exactly... We're not together, but we have um... I would not be here without her..."

"Then you be sure to treat her well." Raven advised. "Those kinds of friends are hard to come by."

"That they are..."

* * *

It had been a long time since Cinder had been this genuinely happy. Not only did her first shift go well, but she may have made a new friend.

After working out a schedule with Raven - she offered to work every day, but the manager insisted she take at least one day off for every seven - Cinder received the advance for the days she would be working that week. It brought a tear to her eye, been given enough money that would help her survive for more than a week. Almost too good to be true. Cinder felt as if she was going to wake up the next morning and she would learn this was all a dream... Shaking the _less-than-pleasant_ thoughts from her mind, she bid Raven a good night and exited the office. As she did, she noticed Yang was standing outside, appearing to be waiting for her.

"Hey, good job today." Yang complimented. "I know my mom said you were pretty nervous during your interview, but you did well. I look forward to having you as a coworker."

Cinder offered a small smile. "Thank you Yang."

"See ya tomorrow." Yang grinned before passing her to enter the break room.

"Yes, see you tomorrow..." Cinder bid before exiting the bar. It felt good to say that again...

After a short walk - with a quick stop at the bank - she arrived back at her shithole of an apartment... and Nora was waiting outside her door. She appeared to be dressed in her usual 'hangout wear' - a white t-shirt with a pink heart on the chest and pink short-shorts. Upon noticing her approaching, the redhead's eyes lit up, her mouth curling into an excited grin.

"Welcome home Cindy!" Nora burst. "How was your first day of work?" Cinder did not verbally respond, simply wrapping her in a tight hug, causing her to giggle. "I knew you would do great."

Partially pulling away, Cinder raised her brow. "How could you have known?"

Nora just continued to grin. "I just knew."

Cinder rolled her eye, yet still with a smile on her face. "Sure you did."

"It's true! I had good feelings about you, I knew you could do it!" Nora insisted.

"Are you sure those weren't aftershocks?" Cinder wondered, her smile becoming a smirk.

Nora giggled. "I should be the one asking _you_ about aftershocks Cindy."

"Well I had some good feelings of my own today, but unfortunately for you, they were not from the sex itself." Cinder informed.

"Considering how long I was between your legs last night, I'm surprised!"

Cinder chuckled. _Well she wasn't wrong_. Nora took great joy in giving pleasure to others, while at the same time never expecting to receive it. She has said as much. Even during their session the prior night, after going down on Cinder _extensively_ , it was if she had no interest in receiving the same. Once the older woman had orgasmed _several times_ , they just went straight to cuddling. Cinder tried asking if Nora wanted anything, but she insisted she was fine. Maybe it was the constant... _excitement_ of her job...

"Soooo, tell me all about your day!" Nora beamed, pulling Cinder from her thoughts.

"Why don't we head inside first?" Cinder wondered. "Unless you want to have this conversation in the hallway."

Nora blinked, realizing where they were. "Oh yeah. Let's do that." She agreed with a smile.

Cinder chuckled again. Pulling out her key, she unlocked her door and the pair entered her shoe box apartment.

"Hey, you mind if I use your bathroom real quick?" Nora asked. "I've been uh, waiting here for a while."

"Of course Nora." Cinder allowed. The redhead scampered off to the tiny bathroom, closing the door behind her. While she waited, the older woman decided to take the opportunity to get changed. Stripping off her work clothes, she threw them into the hamper before donning a pair of black sweatpants and a light brown shirt. As she flopped down onto her bed, she breathed a sigh of relief. _Today was a good day_. She thought to herself.

Soon enough the bathroom door opened and Nora strolled out. "You're not gonna wanna go in _there_ for twenty minutes!" She burst, to which Cinder grimaced. "I'm kidding I'm kidding!" She sat next to her friend. "So where were we? Oh yeah! Tell me about your day Cindy!"

Where should Cinder even start? In her mind so much happened that day. Should she start with the job itself? No... a bar job is pretty self explanatory... "I met some interesting people today."

"Ooh tell me all about them!"

"Well first there's my boss, Raven." Cinder began. "She's... tough, yet kind... and-"

"Is she hot?" Nora interrupted.

Cinder shrugged. "I suppose, but I was fairly nervous while speaking with her, so it wasn't exactly something I was focusing on. Maybe you should come visit sometime and try your luck."

Nora giggled. "Don't tempt me."

"Anyways, then there's her daughter Yang." Cinder continued. "I worked with her during my shift. She's really nice, polite and... comforting."

Nora raised a brow. "Comforting?"

Cinder nodded. "She helped me feel... at ease while we worked... I'm glad she was there with me."

"Oooohhh do I detect a crush?" Nora coaxed with a grin.

Cinder chuckled. "Just because I was glad she was there doesn't mean I instantly have a crush on her Nora."

The redhead just continued to grin. "Alright, whatever you say Cindy."

Cinder rolled her eye. "There was also the one I met a couple days ago when I first found the bar, Vernal. She is... rather intimidating to say the least."

"Why's that?"

"She has this whole biker punk thing going on... and that combined with her blunt attitude makes her an almost scary person." Cinder explained. "And that's not even including the fact that she had sex with her girlfriend in the bar's back closet." The reaction Nora gave reminded her of a double take. It made her laugh.

"Woah woah, your coworker banged her girlfriend at work?" Nora exclaimed, to which her friend nodded. After a moment her expression became a grin. "Could you hear them?"

"Fortunately not."

"So, was her girlfriend hot?" Nora wondered.

"Are you just going to ask that about everyone I meet there?" Cinder inquired.

"Maybe."

The older woman sighed. "Well to answer your question, she is pretty, but something about her style was... off-putting." She informed. "Yang told me she used to wear a lot of white, but now she's practically the textbook definition of goth."

"Sounds like an interesting girl." Nora commented.

"As far as I saw." Cinder shrugged. "But enough about me, we've talked to much about that, how was your day?" Knowing her friend's... _line of work_ , her answer ought to be interesting.

Nora just laughed. "It was nothing special."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hey would you look at that, it's early :O (I usually have 2 weeks or more between chapters).

Sorry it's a bit short, technically this was gonna be the 2nd half of chapter 2, but it was taking too long so I decided to divide it up.

Also, completely forgot: this Weiss' design is inspired by 'Black Mirror' by ThyBlake on DeviantArt. Go check it out, it's awesome.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and as always, your feedback fuels me!


	4. Unexpected Visit

As Yang dismounted her motorcycle and approached the back entrance the The Perch, she yawned. Why was it that every time she actually _intended_ to go to bed early, it always resulted in her staying up until two or three in the morning watching cartoons, looking at cat videos, or whatever else she found on the internet? Old habits sure die hard.

This particular night was spent binging an old season of _The Real Geistbusters_ show. Ruby had texted her earlier in the evening, telling her about how she saw a re-run of the show playing on TV, so Yang decided to give it another watch. It was not like she had anything else to occupy her time with anyway. Then what was supposed to be watching only a few episodes turned into binging an entire season... again. She thanked the Maidens she did not oversleep.

After throwing her stuff in her locker, Yang knocked on the door to Raven's office. "Morning mom." No answer came. "Mom?" She called out again. Still no answer... odd. Raven was always in her office by the time Yang - or anyone else - arrived for work. Slowly creaking the door open and peering inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. Raven was indeed at her desk, but she was asleep. Wild black hair splayed across the desk surface, obscuring her face from view. Not that Yang could forget the sight. The only times her mother looked relaxed were when she slept. And even then it was reluctant and fitful. Quietly making her way across the room and around the desk, Yang softly nudged her mother's arm.

" _Nnngghh..._ " Raven groaned after a few moments, her eyes barely opening. " _Tai_?"

"Mom it's me, Yang." The blonde smiled, leaning over so her mother could see.

Slowly lifting herself off her desk, Raven rubbed the sleep from her eyes and observed her surroundings. "Oh, Yang... you're here early..."

"Early? It's just after eleven thirty... I'm actually a little late." Yang admitted.

Raven sleepily blinked before checking her watch. "So it is..."

Yang furrowed her brow. "Are you okay?" Looking at her mother, she could see something was off. Her hair was messier than usual, her clothes disheveled, and her overall appearance was... unkempt.

"I'm fine Yang." Raven stated before turning her computer back on from sleep mode. As the machine booted up, she looked up she realized her daughter was still staring at her with a frown on her face. She sighed. "I wasn't sleeping well." Raven paused to let loose a wide yawn. "Came down here to get an early start."

"How early of a start?"

"Uh..." Raven squinted at her watch again. "About four..ish?"

Yang sighed, frowning. "Okay, you need to go take a nap, in bed, now." She declared.

"Yang, I'm fine, I have work to do-"

"You always say you're fine mom, and I always drop it, but this is like the sixth time I've found you here, it's too much." Yang shot. "Put the computer to sleep, go upstairs and get some sleep, I can handle things till you get back."

"Fine, fine, gods..." Raven groaned, wearily reaching for the computer tower. "Your mother was a bad influence on you."

"Don't get sappy on me now, come on."

"I'm comin' I'm comin'." Raven groused, glaring at her daughter. "If I'm not back in two hours, you come wake me up, got it?"

Yang smiled. "I'll get Ruby to jump on you."

"She's comin' today?" Raven wondered as she slowly stood from her chair.

"Yeah, why?"

"Cinder's working today." Raven informed.

Yang slumped against the doorway, a hand burying itself in her hair. "Oh... ah... fuck."

"You think it'll be an issue?" Raven asked.

Yang sighed. "I dunno mom, Ruby's been coping for a while... but I don't want any old wounds opening up..."

"Well make sure Pyrrha comes then." Raven suggested as she sauntered past the blonde.

Yang nodded. "Will do."

Then Raven stopped, turning to face her daughter. "Oh, and Yang..." She started.

"Yeah?"

Raven offered a partial smile. "Thanks, for... you know."

"Yeah mom I know, now come on, bedtime." Yang instructed with a smile of her own.

Raven let out a small chuckle. "Yes ma'am." She agreed before exiting the office.

In terms of taking care of herself, it was not often that her mother actually _listened_ to Yang, so it was always a nice surprise when she did. Turning the lights off, the blonde closed the office door before heading into the still dark front area. As she flipped the switches behind the counter, the bar's lights flickered on, and Yang sighed. The early shift was always quiet, which was nice, but it was also boring. Standing around with nothing to do but clean was not very fun. It might be a Saturday, but the bar would most likely stay at least relatively empty until the evening. After turning on the "OPEN" neon sign in the front window, Yang returned to her place behind the counter.

 _And now I wait._ She thought to herself. _Might as well use the time to text Ruby_.

Pulling out her scroll, she navigated to her text messages. Most of them were with her sister, some with Raven, a few from Vernal and Qrow, and of course that one very single-sided conversation... Yang shook the thought from her head. _Not now. You can think about that later_. It was true that Ruby might be still asleep, but Pyrrha had told Yang she had recently been trying to get her to wake up earlier on weekends. Though as far as she had heard, the redhead had been unsuccessful. Might as well try anyway.

 **Yang** : _Wakey wakey sleepy head!_

As surprising as it was, Yang did not have to wait long for a response.

 **Ruby** : _Morning Yang!_

 **Yang** : _Did I wake you up? :P_

 **Ruby** : _Of course not! It's almost noon!_

 **Yang** : _Oh yeah? Was it a certain redhead that got you out of bed?_

 **Ruby** : _...Maybe._

Yang could not help but smile. _Where would that girl be without Pyrrha?_ She wondered to herself. _Probably still alone in her cubicle with no one to talk to but fellow introvert Velvet_. Her smile suddenly faded. _Velvet..._ It was sad to say that Yang had almost forgotten she was gone too... Ruby would not though. She would never forget. Two friends in one fire.

And now she would be coming face to face with Cinder. Gods this was going to be awkward. How would she even bring it up with her? _Hey Cinder, remember that crime you were accused of? Well my sister lost two friends because of it, and she still isn't over it, so just hide in back like a guilty person why don't you_... Yang sighed. _This was not going to be a fun day_. At least she could try to get Pyrrha to come with Ruby, that would help.

 **Yang** : _Sooo, when do you think you'll be heading over today?_

 **Ruby** : _Uhh well once Pyrrha gets back from her morning run we're gonna make lunch, then I'll be right over!_

 **Yang** : _Hey speaking of the old ball and chain, you should bring her today!_

 **Ruby** : _Well maybe if you stop calling my ~wife~ the "old ball and chain", then maybe I'll think about it._

Even months after their wedding, it was still strange to see Ruby referring to Pyrrha as her wife rather than just her girlfriend. If Yang was being honest with herself, she was a little jealous.

 **Yang** : _Oh I apologize dear sister! Would you please grace me with the presence of your radiant goddess of a wife when you visit today?_

 **Ruby** : _Lol okay, just give us a bit to eat and we'll head over._

 **Yang** : _Sure thing._

Sliding her scroll back into her pocket, Yang sighed in relief. Having Pyrrha with Ruby will hopefully make things better for Cinder when she is inevitably seen. It was true that she had been doing well over the past few days, no issues aside from a few customers asking about her timidness. But that was slowly getting better. When Roman came back the prior day, she even had a conversation with him, even if it was full of nervous stuttering on her end. Yang hoped this encounter with Ruby would not drive her away. It was all she could really do at this point.

And so she waited. Not long after she put away her scroll, Qrow arrived to take over the bar... which left Yang to just clean things until customers started arriving. Luckily they did not have to wait long for that. Over the next hour, a few people came in, but the bar still remained relatively quiet.

As Yang was cleaning up after a group of customers, the sound of the front bell brought her attention to the entrance.

"Hi Yang!" Ruby beamed as she and Pyrrha entered the bar and approached the blonde.

Wiping the last section of the table, Yang turned to face her sister. "Hey Rubes- _oomf!"_ She started before before being nearly knocked over by the force of Ruby's hug. " _Gods you've got a grip_ , has Pyr been workin' you out?"

Ruby giggled. "From time to time."

"But not as much as I should." Pyrrha interjected as she joined the two. "You're lucky for your high metabolism, else all those cookies would go straight to your rear."

Releasing her sister, Ruby turned to face her wife. "Oh shush, you love my butt."

Pyrrha chuckled. "I suppose you got me there."

Ruby was about to say something else, but the face she made clearly showed she spotted who was behind the counter. "Uncle Qrow!" She burst before making her way over to the man in question.

"Hey there kiddo." Yang heard Qrow greet before she turned back to Pyrrha.

"It is nice to see you Yang." The redhead smiled as she wrapped the other woman in a gentle hug.

"You too Pyr." Yang responded with a smile of her own before the two parted.

"I heard you specifically asked for me to accompany Ruby today, is there any reason why?" Pyrrha wondered.

"I uh, just thought you'd like to be here with her this time." Yang half-lied. "Plus I haven't seen you in a little while." The way Pyrrha smiled told her that she knew something was up. She was a smart woman after all.

"Well you know I'm always happy to visit with her." Pyrrha replied just as Ruby returned.

"Alright, what'll it be today girls?" Yang inquired.

"Strawberry Sunrise!" Ruby burst.

"A non-alcoholic screwdriver." Pyrrha responded.

"One orange juice coming right up." Yang noted. "You two get settled, and I'll be right back. Just gotta wash these glasses." Yang informed as she picked up the tray from the recently vacated table.

"Okay!" Ruby approved.

As the couple made themselves comfortable in an empty booth, Yang took the try of drink ware back behind the counter. Once they were washed and dried, she moved on to making the drinks. As she did, she glanced over at Ruby and Pyrrha, and instantly felt that familiar pang of jealousy. The pair was chatting away, holding hands across the table. It was both a strange feeling - and a sad feeling honestly - that her _younger_ sister - not only got married first, but even started dating someone before Yang. Her last serious relationship was in high school, and even that was... complicated to say the least. Sure she had her current relationship - her very _casual_ relationship - but it was not the same. Not by a long shot.

Once Yang was finished with the drinks, she loaded them onto a tray and made her way over to Ruby and Pyrrha. "Order up!" She grinned. "One Strawberry Sunrise for you, and one _non-alcoholic_ Screwdriver for you!" She placed the drinks in front of their respective owners.

"Thanks!" Ruby beamed.

"Thank you." Pyrrha nodded. "But I will have to enjoy it in a minute, as I must visit the ladies room." She informed before raising from her seat. "Excuse me."

As Pyrrha made her way to the washroom, Yang slipped into her seat. "Looks like you're stuck with me until then." She joked.

"Well I was able to survive five years living with you, what's another couple minutes?" Ruby giggled, taking a sip from her drink.

Yang chuckled. "Guess you've got a point there."

"So what's new with you sis?" Ruby asked after a few moments of silence.

"Nothin' really, same old same old." Yang shrugged. Then she realized something. "You know, even now, months after your wedding, I don't think I ever asked you... how's the married life going?"

"It feels kinda... the same, really." Ruby responded. "I live with Pyrrha, and we call each other wife now, and make jokes about it, then laugh and hug each other and it's all mushy... Then we just continue on, happy."

"Sounds dreamy." Yang observed.

Ruby thought for a moment. "Well, I sometimes get a little weirded out by Pyrrha praising my uh... _childbearing_ hips and... _fertile_ form, but then she does _this_ thing with her tongue and I just... auauauagh..." She shuddered, hiding her inflamed face.

Yang sighed, laughing breathlessly. "Rubes, I haven't been eaten out in like a week, if you don't shut up I'm gonna throw myself at your wife." She warned.

"Oh gods please don't." Ruby groaned. "I know she'd be into a threesome."

"We could always find out for sure when she gets back." Yang joked.

"I am _not_ having a threesome with my wife and sister." Ruby declared.

"Don't knock it till you try it."

Ruby gaped at her sister. "Yang!"

Yang laughed as Ruby threw a coaster at her face, easily deflected. "I'm kidding I'm kidding!"

Ruby crossed her arms, pouting. "Good. Because you're not turning Pyrrha into another Neon."

"Hey you can't blame that on me! I thought she was flirting with me to mess with you!" Yang admitted. "How was I supposed to know she _actually_ wanted to... _include me_ in the bedroom?"

"Maybe from the fact that she seriously asked you if you wanted to have a threesome with us?" Ruby mockingly guessed.

Yang blinked. "Oh yeah."

"And then she tried to get mom involved..." Ruby groaned.

"Oh gods I remember." Yang reminisced, barely withholding her laughter. "Mom's face was priceless!"

Ruby chuckled. "It's not like I expected things to last long anyway..." She noted.

"Yeah, she was a pretty weird one. But hey, in the end, you found your perfect gal." Yang smiled.

Ruby giggled. "I know Yang, I can't count how many times you've already told me."

"As long as you know!" Yang beamed. The next few moments went by in silence as the blonde watched Ruby take another sip from her drink. Then she felt someone behind her.

"You know Yang... a threesome doesn't sound like a bad idea." Came Pyrrha's whispering voice - in a _way_ too seductive tone - from right next to Yang's ear.

"Gah!" Yang exclaimed as she banged her knee on the underside of the table, which caused Ruby to laugh. " _Ah, damnit_... How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long." Pyrrha informed as she and Yang switched places. "I heard you talking as I came out, I decided to say hello to Qrow. He told me you needed a little... waking up."

"Of course he did." Yang muttered, rubbing the sore area of her leg before shooting a dirty look over at her uncle. He just grinned. Which actually reminded her of something. "Hey Rubes, you wanna go say hi to Aunt Raven?"

"Sure!" Ruby burst. "You wanna come Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha shook her head. "I think I'll stay behind. I haven't even started my drink yet."

"Fair enough." Yang acknowledged. "Alright Rubes let's go."

"Okay!"

As the pair walked through the bar and into the back room, Yang realized something. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Aunt Raven's asleep. So you're gonna have to jump on her."

Ruby just laughed. "I'm not twelve anymore Yang."

Yang raised a brow. "So you're saying no then?"

"Of course not!"

* * *

Another day, another shift at The Perch, and Cinder was in a good mood.

The advance Raven gave Cinder took the impending sense of dread away. The pressure to succeed that ruled her waking hours was no longer there, improving her quality of life dramatically. In turn, her last few shifts had gone well because of it. Sure there were a few hiccups here and there, but overall things went relatively smoothly.

Before leaving her apartment, Cinder made sure to check the rough schedule Raven gave her the prior day. Today she would be working with Yang and Qrow, which made her smile. Qrow was nice enough, but she liked working with Yang. She had such a... pleasant aura, filling the air with banter, mindless or otherwise, making her feel more at ease. Even simple things were made better by that bright smile of hers. Over the past few days, she had learned that any shift with Yang would be a good one.

After a short walk she arrived at the bar, and for the first time since she was told, she remembered to use the back entrance. Grabbing her fancy new nametag from her locker - it was all she had to store in there - Cinder made her way out into the front area. Just like her prior shifts, it was relatively quiet, where it would most likely stay until the evening. Though she expected to find Yang behind the counter, it was Qrow instead. Wearing the same grey button-up shirt and black dress pants as the last two times she saw him - at least it looked like the same outfit. Upon noticing her, he offered a smile.

"Hey there." He greeted.

Cinder offered a small smile. "H-Hello Qrow." She may be in a better mood, but that did not mean some people did not make her nervous.

Taking a quick look around, Cinder noticed Yang was not around. "Isn't... Yang working today?" She asked.

"Yeah, she's just upstairs visiting Raven with her sister." Qrow informed. "She fell asleep at her desk again, so Yang sent her upstairs to take a nap a couple hours ago."

"Oh..." Cinder managed. Over the past few days, whenever she saw her boss, she could tell how tired the older woman was - From the dark circles under her eyes to the way she spoke. That woman needed more sleep, and even though it was at her desk at work, it was good she was getting some. Wait... "Upstairs? Does this bar have a second floor?"

Qrow shook his head. "Nah, it's just Raven's apartment up there."

Cinder blinked. "She... lives above the bar?"

"Yup." Qrow confirmed. "It's actually not a bad place if I'm being honest." Before he said anything else, his gaze shifted from Cinder to something on the other side of the bar.

Turning to see what Qrow was looking at, Cinder was met with a beautiful, yet very familiar girl. Tall, bright red hair, emerald green eyes... she knew she had seen her somewhere... but she could not quite place it...

"Hey there Pyrrha, you ready for another drink already?" Qrow asked the girl.

Wait a second. Pyrrha? _Nikos_?

"Excuse me, are you... Cinder Fall?" The girl inquired.

 _Oh my gods..._ It really was her... Pyrrha Nikos. Though she was just the fiancé of someone that Cinder used to work with, she was no stranger to what happened eight months ago. All the older woman could do was timidly nod. Never thinking she would ever see her again, she was at a loss for words.

"Oh... well, I see... How have you been faring?" Pyrrha plastered on the facade of kindness, but Cinder saw through it. She had seen it before.

"Poorly, until recently." She murmured, schooling her voice steady, her heartbeat uncomfortably hard.

Pyrrha's smile faltered. "That's... unfortunate. I'm sorry to hear that."

 _No you're not_. Cinder bit back the growl, anger flaring in her chest, only for it to be quenched. _They aren't worth your anger Cinder_. Came Emerald's soothing memory. Even tainted in grief, it retained its effect. "Do you want a refill?" She chose to ask, noticing the glass in the other woman's hand.

"Oh, yes please, thank you. It's a non-alcoholic Screwdriver." Pyrrha handed the glass over, and Cinder leaned over to open one of the bar fridges below. "We... I hadn't heard of what happened to you, after-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Cinder declared.

"Very well... but..." Cinder placed the glass rather firmly on the bar, glaring at her with a single golden eye as she filled it. "I'm sorry."

Cinder blinked. Did she hear that right? "What?"

Pyrrha nodded. "We all experienced pain Cinder, but none spared pity for yours, and for that I am sorry."

 _This wasn't real. It couldn't be_. Why would _anyone_ who knew what happened _apologize_ to Cinder? "Pity usually isn't given to those who are accused of major crimes." She grumbled.

Pyrrha sighed. "Anger blinds the best of us Cinder, even I can admit that... I hope in time, others can too."

This... was a trick. It had to be... "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"We blamed you Cinder." Pyrrha whispered. "In our grief we all did, we were pained, we were mourning, and we were angry." She admitted. "And we were wrong, every one of us, and you suffered for it."

Cinder could only stand there in shock. She imagined scenario after scenario where someone from her past would confront her... and this was _not_ how she thought it would have gone. With no idea how to respond, she was truly at a loss for words.

Looking directly into Cinder's eye, Pyrrha continued. "I pray that one day the true perpetrator is found, and that you find peace... that we all find peace in the wake of loss."

Cinder only stared, hands gripping the glass and bottle tighter as the flurry of emotions overwhelmed her. No one ever reached out to her - not during the trial nor after. It was all business and legalities, a single offer of counseling, nothing to assuage the pain, the loss, the crippling injuries that plagued her. And now here it was, too little, too late. She wanted to throw the drink in her face. To yell and scream and cry. But every twinge of fury felt numbed by the knowledge that Emerald would not have wanted that. She only wanted Cinder to be happy. The older woman handed the glass over. "Enjoy your drink." She mumbled, bending back below the bar to put away the juice bottle.

Pyrrha's gaze fell, though the other woman could not see. "Thank you..."

Cinder did not respond. After placing the bottle back into the fridge, she silently stood back up and moved to the side to wash some glasses Qrow left for her. She did not want to have to deal with this - she had made that clear - and yet Pyrrha still stood before her. Cinder saw the girl open her mouth a few times, but never say anything.

"Cinder I-" Pyrrha finally started before the door to the back area burst open, and out strode Yang and another shorter girl. She seemed... familiar, like Pyrrha... Black hair with red tips, silver eyes... a smile as bright as sun... Cinder's eye widened. _Oh gods... Ruby Rose_. Why must this day torture her further? No, she was not going to deal with this. Turning back to the counter, she went back to washing glasses.

"Hey Pyrrha we're back!" The Ruby burst before noticing the redhead was in front of the bar. "Oh, you getting another drink?" As she continued speaking, her gaze slowly shifted from Pyrrha to Cinder. "Maybe I should think about getting myself... another..." She trailed off as her eyes landed on the older woman.

Cinder prayed to every Maiden, god and deity she could think of that Ruby would not recognize her, but just judging from how silent she - along with Yang and Pyrrha - was being, she feared that was not the case. _Don't look up. Don't look up. Don't look up_. Cinder told herself as she continued to try to distract herself with washing the glasses. _If you don't look up, she'll eventually leave_. At least that was what she hoped.

" _Cinder_?" She heard Ruby whimper. Voice weak and pitiful.

 _Fuck._

There was no avoiding it. Taking a shaky breath, Cinder slowly looked up, eventually meeting Ruby's teary gaze. She was staring at her like a deer in headlights, Cinder did not know what to do. Every second that ticked by only made things worse. Was she going to cry? Or yell? Or scream? Cinder could not take it. She wanted Ruby to do _something_ other than stare at her with tears pooling in her eyes.

Yang reached out to place a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Ruby..."

Snapping out of her daze, Ruby turned to Yang, a mix of anger and sadness in her eyes. " _Why didn't you tell me_?"

Yang hesitated, eventually slowly nodding. "I wasn't sure how..."

Ruby took a step away from her sister, tears streaming down her face. "I... I need to go." She stammered before turning to nearly run out of the bar. Pyrrha attempted to get her to stop, but was ultimately ignored.

Once the crimsonette was gone, Pyrrha turned back to Yang. "I'll make sure she's okay." She assured, as confidently as she could. Yang simply nodded as she quickly left to follow her wife.

Once Pyrrha was gone, Yang slumped against the wall. With a clinking of glass Cinder abandoned her place, making her way past the blonde and towards the bathroom.

Yang sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Shit."

* * *

Cinder wished she could disappear.

Unfortunately the best she could do was lock herself in the women's restroom.

So that is what she did.

Minutes ticked by as Cinder sat on the toilet, head in her hands as tears streamed down her face. Why - even after things were starting to look up - must the world continue to make her suffer? Hearing Pyrrha bring up the past was hard enough, but Ruby... just seeing that teary-eyed look on her face was pure torture. Cinder knew the girl had lost people she loved as well, and thinking about that always hurt, but coming face to face with her again was something else entirely. Sometimes she wished she herself had perished in that fire too... Cinder sighed. Thoughts like that would get her nowhere. What she needed to do now was compose herself, she just needed time.

There were a few times where knocks rung upon the door, each time Cinder greeted them with a near-whimpered response, informing the knockers of her presence. She wished there was more than one woman's bathroom in this place. Twenty more minutes passed by until another set of knocks were heard.

"Occupied." Cinder murmured.

"It's me." Came Yang's voice from the other side of the door.

Cinder raised her head from her hands. "Yang?"

"Yeah, I uh, just wanted to come check on you." Yang responded. "Make sure you're alright and stuff."

As she wiped more tears from her eye, Cinder's lips curled into a small smile. "Thank you, but I'm okay, I just need a bit more time..."

"No problem..." Yang responded, followed by a moment of silence. "Hey, can I come in for a sec? Or are uh, ya'busy...?"

"Oh, no, I'm just... sitting here." Cinder informed. Raising from her seat on the closed toilet, she checked her appearance in the mirror, making sure she was at least _somewhat_ presentable. Unlocking the door, she allowed Yang to enter. Though there was plenty of room for both of them, Cinder still felt a bit weird being in such close proximity to the blonde. The two briefly stood in silence until Yang brought a hand up and ran it through her hair.

"So uh, I just wanted to apologize... for not telling you about Ruby." Yang started. "And it would've felt kinda weird to say that from the other side of the door."

"Yang it's okay-"

"No, it's not." Yang interrupted, making the other woman flinch. "You've been through a lot, and it wasn't fair that you didn't know someone you used to know was coming."

Cinder blinked. _Someone I used to know_? "You... you knew?"

Yang sighed. "Yeah, mom does too. It was part of the reason she hired you."

"It... was?"

Yang nodded. "Everyone deserves a chance Cinder, especially during hard times."

Cinder could not help but smile, fighting back tears as she did so. "Thank you..."

"Hey don't thank me, thank my mom. I only said that you could fit in here." Yang responded with a smile. "And you do, I'm glad she hired you."

"Me too..." Cinder mumbled.

"So, think you're ready to come out, or do you need another few minutes?" Yang wondered.

Wiping the tears from her face and eye, Cinder took a deep breath. "No no, I'm okay now."

Yang smiled. "That's what I like to hear!"

* * *

Once Cinder had come out of the bathroom, it was back to work - she still had most of her shift left after all. While they worked, Yang made sure to take every chance she got to talk to her - and it turned out the blonde was quite the fan of cartoons. Not exactly what she was expecting. If Cinder was being honest, she thought she would have heard more about things like clubbing and partying and more... _outgoing_ activities. Not... well, children's TV shows. Of course that was not a bad thing. It was nice to see someone so passionate about something they enjoyed, as it had been quite some time since Cinder had felt that way about anything.

As the hours ticked by and the sun began to set, the bar slowly became more crowded. _Now comes the hard part_. Cinder thought to herself. During the day she had time to _cool down_ between talking to customers, but unfortunately there would be no such luxury this time. It was her first shift that went into the night, and if she was being honest, she was nervous. Her first shift was a trial, so it was only a few hours. The next several days were longer, but they began earlier and only lasted until the early evening, before the bar actually started getting busy.

 _You can do this_.

If Cinder had been alone that statement may not have been true, but she had Yang to help, so things were... bearable. Since Qrow was also behind the bar, he handled the customers sitting at the counter, while the two women handled the ones at the booths and tables. Since it was her first shift that ran into the night, Yang took their orders, Cinder made the drinks, and the blonde brought the drinks to the customers. They had a good system.

As time went on and more drinks were served, the bar started to get a bit rowdier - particularly due to what looked like a group of football players. When they came in earlier they all appeared to be at _least_ little tipsy. Cinder already felt bad for Yang - and they had not even ordered anything yet.

"How much you wanna bet those guys are gonna flirt with me the second I get over there?" Yang wondered as she approached the bar counter.

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "You know I don't have the money to bet Yang."

Yang rubbed the back of her head. "Ah, right, sorry about that."

"It's alright, I accepted my financial situation a long time ago." Cinder informed. "At least now I'm actually earning money. Something I haven't been able to say in eight months."

"Well, how about this?" Yang changed the subject, placing the empty tray she was holding onto the counter as she leaned closer. "If more than... three of them flirt with me, we switch places until you get off."

Cinder tilted her head over to take a look at the group in question. They were all tall, burly, fairly good looking - very _typical_ football players if she was being honest - but not all of them looked like huge flirters. At least she hoped. It was not as if she disliked the job... she would just rather be behind the bar when it was as busy as it currently was. But at the same time, it would be good practice... The daytime would seem like nothing compared to this... "Very well Yang, deal." After the two shook hands, Cinder watched the blonde stroll over to the table, swinging her hips as she did.

 _Well shit._

Cinder had a bit of confidence before, but as she watched Yang interact with the group, that confidence quickly faded. Maybe she should not have made that bet... Oh she _definitely_ should not have made this bet.

Soon enough Yang returned to the counter with a grin on her face, holding out her notepad. "Looks like it's your turn to be the waitress."

Cinder sighed before smiling back at the blonde and taking the pad. "Very well."

Walking around the bar, Yang gave a final smirk before she took the older woman's place. "Alright, there's a pair that still needs drinks, so why don't you take their orders while I make the drinks for the football players." She suggested, pointing out the booth.

"Okay." Cinder nodded. Taking a deep breath, she made her way over to the table. Two men, no problem - at least she hoped. "H-Hello, my name is Cinder. What can I get for you?"

"Hi." The first man replied with a smile. "I think I'll have a... Mojito please."

"And I'll take a Sidecar." The second man simply responded.

Scribbling down the orders, Cinder looked back up and smiled. "I-I'll be right back with your drinks." _See? No problem_. Both men were sure to thank her as she headed back to the counter. Ripping off the page from the notepad, she placed it on the counter in front of Yang. "Here are their orders."

"Cool cool, just give me one second to finish these drinks..." Yang started as she filled the last of the glasses from one of the taps. Once finished, she placed it on a tray with five others. They all appeared to be draft beers - `typical for a group like that. "Alrighty, there ya go! Just be careful, six drinks might be a bit heavy."

Cinder offered a small smile. "I will, thank you Yang." Picking the tray up off the counter - it was rather heavy, but she could handle it - she took another deep breath before approaching the booth. _They just want their drinks, nothing else_. She thought to herself. _All you have to do is give them those drinks and smile_.

Luckily none of them paid Cinder any attention as she placed the tray of glasses onto the table. One after the other, the men mumbled thanks as she gave them their drinks. Before she could pick up the last glass, Cinder felt a hand gently caress her rear - and her world froze.

The man closest to her left - the one with a hand currently on her ass - leaned closer to Cinder. "How about you come take a ride with me so we can _touchdown_ at my place for the night?" He coaxed with a smirk.

Cinder did not respond - She _had_ no response. All she could do was stand there while two things flooded her mind - fear... and memories. That hand on her rear felt so familiar... yet so alien. She remembered how Emerald used to touch her there when they kissed, how good it felt, but now that memory felt... _tainted_. Fear slipped into anger, hot and seething, demanding recompense. She took the remaining glass of beer from the tray, and dumped it on his head.

It was safe to say he did _not_ look happy. At least he was shocked enough to not have an immediate reaction. So Cinder took the opportunity to take the empty tray and retreat back to the bar. But as she did, she felt an abrupt and painful pressure on her left arm. She turned around to see what it was, then suddenly she was seeing stars. When she came to her senses, she was on the floor... and her face... hurt. Not to mention her wrist. It felt like the burns were fresh again...

Still dazed, Cinder looked up, expecting to see the man standing above her. But... he was on the floor next to her... and Raven was standing above _him_. As her boss grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him across the room towards the door, she felt someone lift her up off the floor. Once she was standing, her vision blurred once again, and the next thing she knew, she was in sitting in one of the chairs in the break room. Cinder watched as Yang grabbed the first aid kit off the wall and placed it onto the table before sitting down in front of her. The blonde said something, but it did not quite register.

" _Are you okay_?" Yang inquired - probably for the second time - as she opened up the first aid kit.

Cinder just nodded. If she was being honest, she was not sure if she really was okay. After all, she had just been assaulted, by a truck it felt like.

"Alright, well it doesn't look like you'll need stitches, and-" Yang started.

"Stitches?" Cinder interrupted, her eye wide in surprise.

"Yeah, when he punched you it split the skin right under your left... eye." Yang explained, pointing to the spot on herself before continuing to rummage through the first aid kit box.

"My... eye...?" Slowly reaching up, Cinder touched the unexpectedly bare flesh of the right side of her face. Wait, where was her mask? _Where was her mask?_ Quickly covering the area, she frantically looked around the room, hoping it was there.

"Cin- Cinder." Yang reached out to stop the other woman. "Let me bandage you up first, then I'll get your mask, alright?" Luckily Cinder seemed to calm down with that suggestion, nodding in response. Pulling out a small cloth and bottle, she shifted her gaze back to Cinder. "Okay, I'm gonna disinfect the wound first, so it's gonna sting a bit." Yang warned as she wet the cloth. When she looked back up, she noticed Cinder still had a hand over her left eye. "I can't do that unless you move your hand." Cinder hesitated, but eventually her hand slowly fell onto her lap with the other one. "You ready?" The other woman nodded once again.

As the blonde touched the cloth to Cinder's skin, she flinched at the pain. It was uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the punch. After she wiped away the small amount of blood, Yang grabbed a band-aid from the box and gently applied it over the wound.

"There, all better." Yang smiled.

Cinder offered a smile in return. "Thank you Yang."

"Don't mention it." Yang answered. As she stood from the chair, her smile faded. "I'm uh, really sorry you had to deal with a creep like that in your first week. I should've kept a closer eye on you... I didn't think he would go that far..."

Cinder shook her head. "You shouldn't blame yourself, what happened happened."

"If you say so." Yang sighed. "Okay, sit tight, I'll go get your mask." As the blonde made her way back to the front area, Cinder heard the door open. "Oh, mom, do you know where Cinder's mask is?"

"I've got it." Came Raven's voice from around the corner. "You get back to work, I need a moment with Cinder.

"Sure thing." Yang replied.

After the door closed, Raven appeared from around the corner with Cinder's mask in hand. "Hey. I uh, here's your mask." She simply said as she handed the mask to the younger woman.

"Thank you..." Cinder mumbled. The moment the mask was in her grasp, she quickly put it back on her face. She was never quite... _comfortable_ without it on. Even when she was at home, she felt... _naked_.

Taking a seat in the chair Yang previously sat in, Raven sighed. "So, I'm sorry I didn't step in sooner. I should've intervened the moment that piece of shit touched you, but I thought you handled him well enough... then..." Her gaze fell. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Cinder nodded. "My face hurts... and my wrist is sore, but I'm alright."

"Can I see your wrist?"

"Okay..." Removing the glove from her hand, Cinder placed it onto the table before undoing the wrist buttons of her shirt. She hissed as the fabric brushed over the sensitive skin as she rolled up the sleeve, revealing a rather large bruise on her forearm.

Reaching out to gently take hold of the appendage, Raven examined the injury. "Well it doesn't look swollen... Does it hurt when you move it?" She wondered.

Cinder moved her wrist around, and luckily there was no pain. "No... just when it's touched."

"Hm, I think you should take an early night, get some extra rest." Raven suggested. "Yang can give you a lift if you'd like, but be warned, she rides a motorcycle."

After a moment Cinder nodded. "I'd appreciate that... thank you Raven."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : A little late, but hope you enjoyed!

As always, your feedback fuels me!


	5. Playtime

**Author's Note** :  
Phenonanon; just to clarify, Pyrrha and Ruby were engaged at the time before the incident. Ruby worked at the same place Cinder did, hence the calling Pyrrha the "fiancé of someone that Cinder used to work with".

* * *

As Yang pulled her bike to the side of the road and turned off the engine, she noticed the two arms snaked around her stomach did not loosen. She could not help but smile. It was always fun taking someone out for a ride on Bumblebee for the first time. Maybe she should have been a little gentler. After a few moments of silence, she turned, giving her passenger a little nudge.

"You can loosen up now, we're here." Yang informed with a small chuckle.

Raising her head from Yang's back, Cinder looked around. "Oh."

As the older woman dismounted the motorcycle, Yang took a quick look around the area, and something occurred to her. The neighbourhood was... well, a bit of a shithole if she was being honest. Littered street, damaged buildings, dozens of cracked windows, empty lots... it looked... awful. It seemed like the kind of place someone would be when they get robbed. "Is this... really where you live?" Yang wondered, a look of surprise on her face.

"It looks bad, I'm aware. Time and poverty makes paupers of us all." Cinder responded with a sad chuckle.

"Is it... _safe_ here?" Yang inquired.

"Enough." Cinder simply replied. "It's not the cleanest district, the people are generally unsociable, and the sirens became annoying after a while... but I've only been mugged once-"

"You've been mugged?" Yang interrupted. She was concerned before, now she was worried.

Cinder did not respond immediately, which only worried the blonde further. "Well... she _tried_ to mug me, I was very tired... Once she realized I had nothing to offer but my key she left." Yang breathed a small sigh of relief. She knew how rough the other woman already had it, and being robbed would have just been salt on the wound. "But it's not all bad." Cinder continued. "I... met someone here."

Yang raised a brow. "You _met_ someone? Damn Cinder you didn't tell me you had a boyfriend! Or... girlfriend..."

A small blush found its way to Cinder's face. "W-We're not together... She's just a friend..."

"Oh? Is this the kind of friend who you _share a bed with_ from time to time?" Yang asked with a smirk.

"I- We- um..." Cinder stammered, the blush on her face growing.

Yang let out a chuckle. "I'm just teasing ya, I know it's none of my business." After a few moments of silence, she continued. "So uh, you want me to walk you up?"

Cinder shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm alright. Thank you for the ride."

"No problem at all, but are you sure?" Yang pressed. "Because it's really no problem-"

"Yang, I know you're concerned, but I'm fine." Cinder interjected with a smile.

Yang sighed, but nodded. "Alright." As the older woman turned to walk toward the apartment building, she called out. "Hey Cinder, before you go..."

Cinder turned back to face the blonde. "Yes?"

"You're still wearing my mom's spare helmet." Yang informed, pointing to her own head.

Cinder blinked before looking up and finding she was indeed still wearing the piece of black headgear.

"Oh."

* * *

Well that day was a disaster.

After dropping Cinder off, Yang decided to head home for the night - Her shift was over anyway so there was nothing left for her to do. "Honey I'm home!" She called out into her shoe box of an apartment as she closed the door.

There was no answer.

Not like she was expecting one anyway.

After hanging up her jacket and helmet in the closet, Yang made her way into into the living room - technically the main room since the apartment only _had_ a few rooms - and plopped down onto the couch with a sigh. Though she should think about going to bed earlier - especially after the prior night - she had something to do first. Fishing her scroll from her pocket, Yang navigated to her mom's contact.

 **Yang** : _Hey mom, you got a sec?_

A few minutes went by without an answer, so the blonde decided to switch on the television to try to find something to watch while she waited. Unfortunately, she flipped through channel after channel and nothing really seemed that interesting - She ended up just turning it off and heading to her room. Might as well get ready for bed while she waited.

As Yang entered her bedroom, she stripped off her shirt - not even bothering with undoing the buttons - and threw it into the hamper. Next followed her bra - which felt _great_ \- and then her pants. After depositing those into the hamper as well, she grabbed her favourite cat-themed pajamas from their place on her very unkept bed. It was always both a great feeling and sad feeling. The former because they were _extremely_ comfortable, and the latter because... who they reminded her of... Yang shook the thought from her head. She did own more pairs, but she only ever wore them when the cat-themed ones needed to be washed.

Once Yang had her pajamas on, she checked her scroll once more. Still no answer. Guess it was time for dinner then.

Making her way through the apartment and into the kitchen, she flipped open the fridge in search for some food. She did not feel like cooking. Luckily she did not have to look far, as there was a perfectly good container of vegetarian dumplings on the top shelf - courtesy of a lovely dinner with Ruby and Pyrrha the previous week. Yang was always thankful that the pair invited her over every so often. It meant that she did not have to spend so much time alone in her apartment... Plus she always got a free meal to take home. So that was nice.

Loading some dumplings onto a plate, Yang placed them into the microwave. As she turned the appliance on, her scroll suddenly buzzed.

 **Raven** : _Hey sorry about that, had to mop up a spill. What's up?_

 **Yang** : _I just wanted to talk about Cinder with you._

 **Raven** : _What, you like her or something? What happened to that booty call you had?_

 **Yang** : _No mom I don't like her, at least not in that way. I wanted to talk about her living situation._

 **Raven** : _What about it?_

 **Yang** : _It's horrible. She lives in a crime ridden slum, and I'm honestly worried._

 **Raven** : _Has she expressed concern over where she lives?_

 **Yang** : _No, but that doesn't make it any better mom. I remember how comfortably Ruby used to live on her own, so to see Cinder living in a place like that was... shocking._

 **Raven** : _I understand your concern Yang, but it's not like we can force her to move out of there. I'm not sure she could even afford it._

Yang sighed. She had a feeling that would be her mom's answer. Unfortunately she was not wrong, there was not really anything they could do. They could not force her to move somewhere else, and there was no way Cinder would be comfortable moving in with either of them. She had met them less than a week ago after all.

 **Yang** : _Then what do you think we should do?_

 **Raven** : _I don't know. All we can really do is make sure she's comfortable and safe at work._

 **Yang** : _Alright. I'll see ya tomorrow night mom._

 **Raven** : _See ya kiddo._

Wait, what?

 **Yang** : _Kiddo? Who are you Qrow?_

 **Raven** : _Thought I'd try something, but fine. I will see you tomorrow daughter of mine._

 **Yang** : _Lol okay. Night mom._

Putting away her phone, Yang retrieved her food from the microwave - and it smelled delicious. It was true that her own cooking was good - when she actually bothered to cook - but Pyrrha was practically a master chef. She could probably even compete with Summer, who was an actual _professional_ chef. Maybe she should arrange another cooking contest between the two sometime... Anything to get them to cook for her.

Once Yang finished her meal, it did not take long for her to end up doing what she did most nights; browsing the internet. It was not like she had anything better to do anyway. Video after video, post after post, meme after meme... the next thing she knew, a few hours had passed... Oops. Maybe she should think about getting some sleep. Unfortunately, right before she went to put her laptop to sleep, she caught a glimpse of a surprising post.

 **Cat Tails - Season 4, Episode 7 discussion**  
 **to r/cartoons**

Did that already have another season? Yang thought it was not starting back up for another couple months. Well, since it was out, maybe she could watch a couple episodes... _No, you stayed up late enough last night. You can't watch it in the morning_. The rational part of her brain said. Yang sighed. _Fine_. As she closed her laptop and headed towards her room, her scroll buzzed once more. Who would be texting her at this hour? Pulling her scroll from her pocket, she checked the notification, and seeing who it was made it more confusing.

 **Neo  
** [Text Message]

Opening the message, Yang saw it was only a single word.

 _Tomorrow._

* * *

As the morning came, Yang woke up in a good mood. Not only did she not have to wake up for work - she much preferred the later shifts - but she had a date. Well, _sort of_ a date. A companion date, with nudity, and sex, probably both... usually both.

After a nice breakfast - technically lunch considering how late she woke up - of scrambled eggs and toast, Yang hopped in the shower. It was such a nice way to wake up. The first thing she did was shave her legs, because she was not going to forget it again. The last time Yang showed up with unshaven legs, she was sent home to rectify that, and even when she came back she was denied an orgasm until Neo was satisfied. After that was done, it was onto the puss. Maybe she should shave it into a little heart... No, that was probably a bad idea. If she did that, Neo would not even _think_ about touching her there, let alone eating her out. Impressing that woman sure was hard. Grabbing the razor from the shelf, she sighed. _Guess it's clean shaven then._

Once Yang was out of the shower, it was back to her room to find a nice outfit. She ruffled through her closet and dresser, eventually finding something to wear - a yellow singlet top and a short black skirt. _All the easier to take off_. Laying the clothing on her bed, she moved onto her underwear drawer. She wanted to find something sexy, so anything tan or white was immediately out, which unfortunately was most of her underwear. Searching through what was left, Yang finally settled on a plain black thong - lest Neo rip another fancy lacy pair - and a black strapless bra. She would prefer to wear a sports bra, but Neo was more inclined to tear them too.

After she changed, Yang headed to the bathroom to finish getting ready - But not before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she looked pretty damn hot. Hopefully Neo would think so too... _Of course she will. Stop psyching yourself out_. Yang told herself, shaking the negative thought from her head before making her way into the bathroom. It was time for one of the most important parts of getting ready; brushing her teeth - Because if she did not, her chances of a make-out session would drop from small to zero. Though it was understandable - No one wanted to kiss someone with bad breath. After that it was onto her makeup. Yang decided to go with something simple; some purple eye shadow. Neo loved her eyes, but hated cleaning up lipstick - she had made that _very_ clear in the past. As she exited the bathroom, she heard her scroll buzz from the kitchen table.

 **Neo  
** [Text Message]

Opening the message, Yang saw it was just what she was waiting for - A single word yet again.

 **Neo** : _Playtime._

 _Looks like it's time to go._

 **Yang** : _Be right over babe._

Grabbing her keys and jacket, Yang gave herself one last check in the mirror before leaving her apartment. Since it was still fairly early in the day, the traffic was light... thankfully. Neo was not one that liked to be kept waiting. After a short ride, she pulled into the apartment's parking lot. When she turned off the engine, she let out a shaky breath. Neo always liked it when she was worked up before arriving, and Bumblebee was _more than capable_ of taking care of that. Hopefully she would not have to clean the seat later.

As Yang ascended the stairs and approached Neo's door, she firmly knocked. After a minute it opened, revealing a _very_ naked Neo, who had a smirk on her face. She had to admit, no matter how many times she laid her eyes on that gorgeous body, she never got tired of seeing it.

"Hey beautiful, I missed you- _mmph_!" Yang started, only to find the nozzle of a can shoved into her mouth, followed by a deluge of whipped cream. She barely had time to react before Neo grabbed her by the ass, and pulled her inside the apartment.

What a great start to their date.

* * *

Cinder had conflicting feelings about having a day off. On one hand, she had the chance to rest after the disaster that was the prior day, but on the other, that was a chunk of money that was not part of the advance Raven gave her.

As Cinder sat alone in her bed, she realized there was another problem - What was she going to do today? Maybe she should see what Nora was up to... No, the redhead spent hours comforting her the previous night, she deserved a break. Before she could think of another option, she felt her stomach rumble. _Guess that means it's time for breakfast_.

Pulling herself out of bed, Cinder made her way into the kitchen. When she opened the fridge door, another realization came - She was running dangerously low on food. Thankfully the carton of eggs was still half full, and there was still some bacon and a couple sausages left. She had been hesitant on eating it by herself since it was food that Nora brought from her own home, but unfortunately it seemed that was the only thing she had for breakfast... Sorry Nora. Maybe she should go shopping after she ate... That was probably a good idea.

Once Cinder had cooked and eaten - the eggs were not as amazing as when Nora made them, but they were passable - she cleaned her dishes and returned to the main room to change. Stripping off her pajamas, she grabbed a plain white bra from her closet before picking out a pair of dark blue jeans and a black long shirt. Nothing special, but it was enough to cover most of her burns. Once changed, she slipped on her shoes - not before slipping on her glove - and approached the front door. Cinder hated going out in public. Sure, she had to for work, but at least The Perch had somewhere to hide when she got overwhelmed. The grocery store had no such place. _Just ignore the stares, you do it all the time_. She told herself. _No problem... I hope..._ Taking a deep breath, she headed out.

After a short walk, Cinder arrived at the closest grocery store. It may not be the largest one around, but it was enough - and there was no way she was going to go to a farther one just to see more items she could not afford. There were a few passing stares on the way, but she was able to ignore them. Grabbing a basket from the stack at the front entrance, she began walking through the isles. As she did, there were yet again passing stairs from other shoppers. She did her best to stay focused on her objective, but the more stares she noticed, the more she just wanted to go home and hide. Thankfully it did not take long for Cinder to find everything she was looking for, which was mostly food. As she got in one of the check out lines, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

 _"Cindy?"_

Turning towards the direction of the voice, Cinder found Nora standing in another line with a few small boxes in her hands. Upon noticing it was in fact her, the redhead skipped over to join her.

"Hiya Cindy! Long time no see" Nora joked. "What 'cha got there?"

Cinder smiled. "Just some food. My fridge was growing rather sparse."

"It did look a little on the empty side last time I was there." Nora chuckled.

"Well, not anymore." Cinder proudly responded. "What are you buying?"

Nora held up the boxes with a grin on her face. Four boxes of... condoms. "Some of my recent uh... _friends_ have made it a habit of not bringing these, and they think it's fine but I've told them no way! _The beaver ain't chomping down on that wood without one_ if you catch my drift."

Cinder nodded. "Yes Nora I understand."

"'Cause we can't have the beaver gettin' sick am I right?"

"Of course not." Cinder chuckled.

As the line moved forward, Nora piped up again. "So, what're ya doing after this? You got work today?"

Cinder shook her head. "No, my boss required me to have at least one day off per week."

"Sweet! You wanna' go out for a coffee?" Nora wondered. "My treat!"

Cinder thought for a moment. It was true she did not really have any plans for the rest of the day, but she was hesitant about letting Nora spend more money on her. She could not count how many times the redhead had bought things for her - be it food, coffee, hell she even bought her clothes when some of hers were ruined by a faulty setting on one of the dryers in their apartment building. Cinder already felt guilty over how much Nora did for her without wanting payback...

"You okay Cindy?" Nora asked, pulling the older woman from her thoughts.

"Oh, yes..." Cinder mumbled.

"So? How does coffee with this beautiful redhead sound?" Nora grinned.

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "Very well." Nora was about to speak up again but she continued. "But I'm paying for my own coffee this time. I know you mean well but I finally have a job now, so I can actually afford it."

After a moment Nora smiled.

"Deal!"

* * *

Café coffee was always the best.

After Cinder and Nora paid for their items and dropped them off at their respective apartments, they met up outside before walking over to O'Malley's. It was a nice family-owned café not too far from the building, and the redhead's favourite place to go for coffee. Once they arrived, the redhead ordered a Cappuccino - complete with chocolate shavings of course - while Cinder ordered a simple dark roast coffee... And not just because it was cheaper.

"Man, I _still_ don't understand how you drink those!" Nora mocked as she sat down at a two-person table.

"Because I enjoy them Nora." Cinder defended, taking a seat across from her friend. "They have a rich taste."

"Well they're _way_ too bitter for me." Nora grimaced before taking a sip of her own drink. " _Oh that's good stuff..._ "

Cinder could not help but smile. _That girl loves her sweet coffee_. The next few minutes passed in silence, both women quietly drinking their beverages. But that was not really a bad thing. It was a pleasant silence.

"So how're your injuries doing?" Nora wondered after taking another sip.

"Better." Cinder responded. "They don't hurt anymore. and the cut on my face no longer needs a bandage. Unfortunately both are starting to bruise..." She offered a small chuckle. "I suppose it's convenient that I already cover myself this much..." She mumbled, shrinking slightly in her seat.

Nora did not respond immediately, instead she just stared at the other woman. "Hey Cindy... can you do something for me?"

"What is it?" Cinder wondered.

"Take your mask off."

Cinder blinked. Was she serious? "Nora... you know I can't do that..."

"It'll just be for a second." Nora assured before taking a quick look around the room. "And nobody's looking! I swear it'll be quick! I just wanna show ya something."

Cinder hesitated. When was the last time she removed her mask _while_ in public? If she was being honest, she could not remember. Hell, during the first month of wearing it, she barely it off in her own home - even when going to sleep. It was so... _painful_... seeing herself like that. Just another reminder that Emerald was gone... Suddenly she felt a hand on her own.

"Cindy?" Came Nora's voice, pulling the older woman from her thoughts. "You okay? Was that too far?"

After a moment Cinder shook her head. "No, it's just... are you sure?" Nora simply nodded, a reassuring smile on her face. Taking a deep breath, Cinder brought a now-shaking hand up to reach behind her head. Grabbing the elastic that held the mask on her face, she pulled it over her head until it came loose. Then she froze. _You can do this_. Cinder told herself before slowly removing the mask and placing it onto the table next to her drink. She wanted so badly to cover her now exposed face, to go home and hide, anything to make sure no one else saw her hideous appearance, but she resisted... somehow.

"Do you know what I see in front of me?" Nora inquired.

"W-What do you see?" Cinder echoed.

"A beautiful woman. _You_ are a beautiful woman Cinder Fall."

Cinder opened her mouth several times to answer, but nothing came out. If she was being honest, she had no answer. Was Nora even being genuine? No... There was no way that _anyone_ would genuinely call her burnt pizza-looking face beautiful. It was... disgusting. But the look on her friend's face... those eyes... that smile... they felt... _real_. Cinder could already feel tears welling in her eye. How could Nora think she was beautiful? How could anyone? In her own eyes - technically _eye_ \- she had not been anything remotely close to that since before the accident...

Feeling the tears beginning to stream down her face, Cinder sniffled before wiping them away. Opening her mouth once again, she was finally able to manage a response.

"Thank you..."

* * *

Yang awoke to a cold bed. Not surprising.

She began to pull herself up to stretch, but her hands caught on something above her head. Looking up, she saw a pair of pink and brown-furred handcuffs were binding her wrists to the headboard of the bed. _Well that's not good_. Maybe she should call Neo in.

" _Nreogh_?" Was not what Yang expected her voice to sound like, but she was fairly certain that was all she was going to get once she realized there was a ball gag in her mouth. Just perfect. _Note to self, no more having ball gags and handcuffs at the same time_.

Yang attempted to wriggle free from the cuffs, as well as to get the gag out of her mouth, but to no avail. Unfortunately she had to hold back her strength, lest she break anything - Neo would kill her if she did. _Guess all I can do now is wait_. It was not like Neo would just leave her there... right? No, actually, she _had_ done that before. After one instance of their near-weekly _playtime_ , she went out shopping while Yang was stuck in her bed, blindfolded and tied up with one of those crazy Mistrali full-body bondage knots. Well, all she could really do now was wait and see.

And so Yang waited, taking a look around the room as she did - at least as best she could. It seemed while Neo was up, she decided to clean up her room while the blonde was still asleep. Their clothes were no longer scattered around the room - hers were neatly folded on the bench at the end of the bed, while the other woman's were nowhere to be found. They were likely in her hamper... wherever that was. Neo was not one to share much about her home... or herself really. Hell, Yang did not even know what her pajamas looked like. The only time they ever slept together was after sex, and even then, she always passed out from being fucked silly by one of Neo's various sex toys. So it never really felt like they slept _together_.

As Yang continued to gaze around the room, she noticed how nice it actually was. A fairly sparse room. Excluding the double bed she was currently handcuffed to, there was only one other piece of furniture in it - a dresser in the corner. Other than that there was just a closet and some fancy-looking curtains. Though it was to be expected, Neo had said she only used the bedroom for sleeping and sex. She knew _plenty_ about the latter.

One other thing Yang noticed was all the sex toys they used earlier were gone, put away... wherever Neo stored them. Probably in the dresser's drawers or in the closet. Well, aside from the handcuffs and ball gag that kept her stuck where she was. They had a bit of a crazy time earlier, though it was still fairly tame compared to some of their sessions in the past. There were a _lot_ of things Yang had done for Neo in those past sessions, and unfortunately she was not quite comfortable with all of them, but Neo was always sure to pay her back... most of the time.

Thankfully the wait was not too much longer, as the door opened and Neo strode in... unfortunately not towards Yang. The blonde watched as the other woman walked across the room and over to the dresser to grab a pair of socks, before turning to leave.

" _Nreogh_!" Yang attempted to call out. Luckily Neo turned around... but instead of coming over to help, she just broke down in silent laughter. Once she calmed down, she put off freeing the blonde even further by taking out her scroll - probably for a picture. Neo then pulled the sides of her mouth up with two fingers, mimicking a smile. _Might as well humour her_. Yang thought to herself. It was probably the only way she was going to let her go anyway. So she faked a smile long enough for Neo to snap a few photos with her scroll.

Once Neo was done with her picture-taking, she produced a small key from her pocket. _Of course she has it on her_. Sauntering over to the bedside, she reached behind Yang's head to undo the ball gag.

"Gah, thanks babe."

Then instead of unlocking the handcuffs, Neo just grinned, dangling the key in front of Yang's face.

"So uh, I don't suppose you can let me go now?" Yang wondered. "I've got work tonight."

Neo just continued to grin as she put a hand behind her ear in expectation.

Yang knew exactly what she wanted. "Can you _please_ let me go now?"

That seemed to be enough, as Neo reached over to the handcuffs and unlocked them, finally releasing the blonde.

"Ah, thanks." Yang smiled, rubbing her wrists as Neo took the handcuffs and placed them onto her dresser before leaving the room. When she tried to get up to follow her, she almost ended up falling on her face. _Oh boy, little wobbly there_. Yang thought as she steadied herself. _Should make sure I stretch before heading to work later_.

As Yang approached the bedroom door to follow Neo, she stopped, realizing she was still naked. Oops. Quickly throwing on her clothes from earlier, she followed the other woman to the apartment's main area... where she nowhere to be found. Taking a walk around, she found Neo was instead on her computer in her office... or studio... or whatever she called it.

Making her way towards the office, Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Neo must have heard her, as she swiftly raised a hand to stop her, not even looking up from her computer. She merely waved her away and returned to her work, fixated upon some new line art on her computer monitor. Yang sighed. _Of course she's busy. She hates being interrupted_. So there was nothing to be done but head out.

"I'll see you later babe." Yang mumbled before heading to leave the apartment, grabbing her motorcycle helmet on the way out. After exiting the building, she mounted and started up Bumblebee before pulling out of the parking lot and taking off down the street.

As she rode, Yang thought about how she wished she could have stayed, but she knew she would only be in the way. Neo was a concept artist for a local animation company - at least she was fairly certain she was - but she also spent a considerable amount of time working on various commission pieces, so most times they were unable to spend a lot of time together. It sucked, but Yang knew what it was like to be too busy to spend time with a partner, so she understood it. But at the same time, part of her felt like something was... _missing_ , like their relationship was not what it could be, and not just because of Neo's work.

Since the day they started dating, Yang had wanted to go out on at least one real date - like a romantic dinner, or a movie, or hell even a nice walk... but that never happened. It was always the same thing - Arrive, bang, sleep, leave. They did not even cuddle. Sure the sex was great - Neo was quite the freak in the bedroom, she could always bring Yang to orgasm in mere _minutes_ \- but it was all they really had. If she was being honest, she wanted... _more_. She wished they could _be_ more. She wished she could be Neo's proper girlfriend, rather than just... an occasional booty call. At least that was what it felt like sometimes.

After entering her apartments parking lot and pulling into her spot, Yang dismounted her bike... and sighed. It had been less than half an hour since she left Neo's place, so why did she already feel so... _lonely_? Normally she was able to ride the high at least until the next morning, but something just felt heavier than normal, dragging her down as she slumped toward the apartment entrance. She still had several hours before her shift, maybe she should see what Ruby and Pyrrha were up to.

As Yang entered her apartment, the first thing she did after hanging up her helmet was flop down face-first onto the couch. She did not even bother taking off her motorcycle jacket. Pulling her scroll free from the inner pocket of her jacket, she turned onto her side and navigated to Ruby's contact.

 **Yang** : _Hey there Rubes, how's it going?_

 **Ruby** : _Hi Yang! Pretty good! Me and Pyrrha are just getting ready, mom and dad invited us over for dinner tonight!_

 **Yang** : _Oh, well I don't wanna keep you, have fun! And say hi to them for me!_

 **Ruby** : _Okie dokie!_

 _Well there goes that plan_. Maybe Yang could text Cinder... No, they were not close enough to text just for the sake of talking. What about Weiss? She was nice to talk to... but she knew Vernal would not take too kindly to Yang texting her girlfriend for something like this. Plus both of them probably had better things to do than sit around and talk to her.

 _You could always message you-know-who_.

Normally Yang would immediately shoot down that idea, but maybe it could be nice... It had been quite some time since they had last spoken. Maybe it was time to finally get back in proper contact with her... Scrolling through her contacts, she selected one that she has not done so in several years.

 **Blake Belladonna**

Then Yang hesitated, her finger hovering over the _Message_ button. Could she really do this? It had been _years_ since they were last in contact, and even then... they did not exactly part on the greatest of terms. _Guess that's what happens when you drunkenly confess your feelings to someone at a graduation party_. She thought to herself. There had been so many times she could have at least messaged her, she just... never did.

Yang sighed. _Fuck it_. With near-shaking hands, she tapped the button and typed out a message.

 **Yang** : _Hey, I know it's been a while, and I know I probably should've contacted you a lot sooner, but I just really need someone to talk to right now._

Once again Yang hesitated, this time her finger hovered over the _Send_ button. So many conflicting feelings filled her mind. She wanted to send it, because she truly wanted to get in contact with Blake again, but at the same time, she also did not, because she was scared... no, _terrified_ of what she might say.

In the end Yang just ended up deleting the message and tossing her scroll aside.

She really needed more friends.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : A little late but it's here now!

As always, your feedback fuels me!


	6. Backlash

Cinder awoke to an unexpectedly cold bed. No pressure on her side, nor her front... not even on her side...

 _Cinders... Cinders wake up..._

There she was. _Five more minutes Em..._

 _It's time to get up... We have to start packing for our trip..._

That was right, they were taking a trip to Mistral soon - and Cinder could not be more excited. In just over a week, they would be on a plane heading towards the gorgeous seaside city of Argus. She could see it now... Sun tanning on the beach, riding the cable cars through the city, visiting the Aquarium as well as the other various attractions at Pier 23, and of course the stereotypical romantic walks on the beach that every couples vacation trip needed. She could not wait.

Slowly opening her eyes, Cinder looked up, expecting to see the beautiful face of her girlfriend smiling down at her, but Emerald was not there... and neither was her room. Instead she found herself... somewhere else. A single panel light lit the small white room around her. It was... very plain. All that was in the room was a sink counter top, two doors - one labeled _Bathroom_ and the other presumably an exit, and a small television hung on the wall opposite to her bed, or... the bed she was currently in, as there was no way it was _her_ bed. Her bed was not a single - considering she shared it with Emerald - nor was its top half elevated. Where the hell was she... and where was her girlfriend? Now Cinder was starting to get nervous. She tried to get up, but every part of her body felt so... heavy. There was also another source of light coming from her left, but she could not see it... Something was covering that eye. Reaching up to feel what it was-

 _Clink._

Something was stopping her.

Looking down at her hands, Cinder's eyes widened in fear. Her entire left arm was covered in bandages, and it was... handcuffed to the guardrails of the bed... the _hospital_ bed... She was in a hospital. Suddenly panic gripped her heart, her mind beginning to race, and her heart rate shooting through the roof. Only then did she notice the growing intensity of the beeping coming from a machine that was next to the bed. _Why was she there? What happened? Where was Emerald?!_

Cinder tried to yell for a nurse, or a doctor, or _anyone_ , but the moment she did, she was instead forced into an excruciating coughing fit. Clutching her throat with her free hand, she could feel tears welling in her eyes. _It hurt so much..._

Thankfully, it was not long before the room's door opened and someone who appeared to be a nurse entered. She had olive skin, brown eyes, and curly black hair that was pulled back behind her ears. Looking up from her clipboard, her eyes widened slightly.

"Ms. Fall, I didn't realize you were awake." The nurse admitted before noticing Cinder was clutching her throat. "Are you alright? Do you need water?"

Releasing her throat, Cinder attempted to yell again, but all that came out was an unintelligible raspy whisper before a hacking cough overcame her. She clutched her throat again as tears streamed down her face.

Rushing over to the sink, the nurse grabbed an empty cup and filled it with water before bringing it over to Cinder. "Take small sips." She instructed as she held out the cup.

With a shaking hand, Cinder slowly took the drink from the nurse and brought it to her lips. It was... refreshing to say the least, the cold liquid soothing her injured throat. She did not even notice how dry her mouth was before.

"I realize this situation is shocking, it will take some time to get used to, but I'm going to need you to calm down, lest you hurt yourself further." The nurse advised.

It took a few minutes, but Cinder eventually did so, the beeping of the heart rate monitor slowly quieting as her heart rate slowed to a normal level. She still had questions... but she could not even fucking ask them because she was unable to speak. Luckily the nurse saw the strained look on her face.

"Would you like to know what happened?" The nurse offered. "Or-" Cinder simply nodded before she could continue, as she was incapable of vocally answering. "Last week you were... in a fire. You suffered from severe smoke inhalation and third degree burns. Until now you've been asleep, and you've only been breathing on your own for the past couple days."

Cinder could not believe what she was hearing. She was... in a fire? But how could that be? The last thing she remembered was... waking up next to Emerald... _Oh gods_. If she was hospitalized, then where was Emerald? If she were okay she would be by Cinder's side. The fact that she was not meant... she was hurt too. Once again the beeping of the heart rate monitor began to grow in intensity as panic overcame her. She looked to the nurse with fear in her eyes, wanting so desperately to ask where her soulmate was... but she was unable to. All she could do was stare as tears started streaming down her face. The nurse attempted to calm her down, but it was no use. Thoughts of what could have happened to Emerald filled her mind, each one being worse than the last. As the nurse realized there was nothing she could do on her own, she turned to leave to get help, but a hand grabbed her wrist before she could.

With pleading eyes, Cinder gazed into the nurse's. Taking a shaky breath, she swallowed. She did not care how much it hurt, she would find out where her soulmate was.

" _Wh...ere... i-is... Em...erald..._ "

As first the nurse was confused, but soon realized what Cinder was asking. Her look of worry quickly shifted into one of grief. "I... I'm sorry Ms. Fall..."

She was... sorry? Wait, no... _please gods no_...

"Ms. Sustrai... did not make it."

* * *

What a terrible night.

The worst part of it was not even the nightmare itself, nor the fact that Cinder woke up crying - she was sadly fairly used to that - it was the fact that she woke up alone. It was a horrible feeling. There had been times where Nora was there to comfort her when she woke up from a nightmare, but unfortunately she had no such luxury the prior night. Cinder thought about going to see her friend, but she ultimately decided against it, as she had previously learned the hard way that Nora's apartment was the most... _active_ during the night. Thankfully she kept her door closed, so Cinder never _saw_ anything, but she heard things, _oh did she hear things_. Luckily she was not one to get easily aroused from just noises. Unfortunately, not going to see Nora meant Cinder was stuck alone, lying awake in her lumpy bed, too afraid to go back to sleep. She considered getting an early start to the day - it would have been a _very_ early start - but she felt... safe wrapped up under the covers, like nothing else could hurt her.

Eventually the morning came, but by the time it did, Cinder was starving. It was a good thing she went shopping the other day. But at the same time, she may have to go again sooner than she expected, considering how much she ate for breakfast.

Once Cinder was finished, she threw on her work outfit, as well as her glove and mask, and headed out. Then after a short walk of ignoring the usual passing stares, she arrived at The Perch - nearly forgetting to use the correct entrance once again. Quickly walking around the building, she approached the back door before hearing the low rumble of an engine coming her way. Soon enough someone appeared from around the corner atop a Harley... _Wow_. Cinder felt her heart rate begin to increase as she had no idea who this person was, but upon them parking and removing their helmet, she breathed a small sigh of relief - It was only Vernal. Unfortunately that did not exactly calm her beating heart very much. If Cinder did not find her intimidating before, seeing her ride to work on such a beast of a motorcycle certainly guaranteed she did now. Mostly jet black and silver with blood red accents above the wheels and engine... it was like she was _asking_ for people to fear her.

After dismounting her bike, Vernal made her way towards the bar, only to stop in front of Cinder. "Man you look tired as shit."

"O-Oh, yes... I had a... a late night..." Cinder managed.

"Well just don't be falling asleep on the job." Vernal advised. "It would be a shame to see you get into trouble in your first week here." She added before passing the other woman and entering the bar.

That was easier said than done. Cinder was not exactly sure quite how early she awoke from her nightmare, but it was more than enough to realize just how much she could use a nap. Following Vernal into the bar, she grabbed her name tag from her designated locker and made her way out into the front area to join the other woman behind the counter. After a brief period of standing around - it was still before noon so there were not any customers yet - Cinder realized something. Aside from a couple minutes in the break room, she had never been truly alone with Vernal. It was... strange to say the least. She was not very conversational - especially when compared to Yang - only talking to Cinder when she wanted something or there was business to attend to. And due to there being no costumers, Vernal was not exactly very talkative. It was kind of uncomfortable, just standing there not really doing anything. Cinder felt like she should say something to try to break the awkward silence, but was unable to muster the courage to do so.

Unfortunately the silence persisted, with Vernal just sitting there on her scroll - how productive - so Cinder decided to make herself useful by wiping down the tables. Thankfully that at least made the time pass a bit quicker, as she was able to work on autopilot until customers began arriving. Once they did, she hoped Vernal would start talking to her, but all she got was a _you're up_ once she returned to the counter.

And so began a very quiet shift, at least between Cinder and Vernal. The only things she really said to her were work related - More specifically informing her that drinks were ready for a table... and that was about it. Luckily Yang would be arriving soon for her shift, so she just had to manage until then. It was not that she _disliked_ working with Vernal, the blonde just made an actual conscious effort to make working with her more pleasant.

Cinder had to wait a little longer than she expected, but eventually Yang arrived. What a relief.

"Afternoon ladies!" Yang greeted with a wave as she joined Vernal behind the counter.

"Hey." Vernal simply replied.

Cinder offered a small smile as she approached the bar counter. "Good afternoon Yang." She expected the blonde to grab a tray and join her on the other side, but instead she turned to Vernal.

"You mind handling things out here for a minute?" Yang inquired. "I just gotta talk to Cinder."

Vernal nodded. "Sure thing."

"Thanks, that okay Cinder?" Yang wondered.

Cinder blinked. Yang wanted to talk to her... alone? Had she done something wrong? No... no of course not. It was probably just about... actually she was not sure what it could be about - Which made her nervous. "S-Sure..." She managed before following the other woman into the back area, where they took their seats on either side of the lone table. Yang was silent for a time, which only made it worse.

"So..." Yang finally spoke up, causing Cinder to flinch. "I just wanted to apologize for the other day."

"W-Why are you apologizing?" Cinder wondered, still nervous from thinking she was in trouble in some way.

"For not telling you Ruby and Pyrrha were coming." Yang clarified. "I was hoping I would be able to warn you when you arrived, but they got here sooner than I expected... And then Ruby spent more time with mom than I thought, so by the time I came back down..." She sighed. "I'm really sorry Cinder..."

The older woman opened her mouth a few times to speak, but no response came. All she could do was stare at the blonde. Did Yang know? No... If she knew about what happened there was no way she would ever be so nice to her. Hell, Cinder still found it surprising that she was actually hired after telling Raven about the incident. After all, as far as everyone was concerned she was an arsonist... a murderer.

"I should've made a better effort to make sure you knew." Yang continued. "I promise I won't let it happen again."

"Thank you..." Was all Cinder could manage, and all she could really think of to say. It was nice that Yang was apologizing, but at the same time, it also showed that she knew more than Cinder thought. She had to ask. "I-If you don't mind... why a-are you apologizing for that?"

"Because..." Yang sighed, her expression shifting to one of regret. "I know... About the fire..."

Cinder's eye went wide. She hoped so desperately that she could just move past the incident, to have some sort of fresh start, but judging from what happened the other day - and now Yang telling her she knew - that fresh start was farther than she thought. "Y-You... you know?" She echoed.

Yang nodded. "After my mom told me about you I realized who you were. My uh, my sister Ruby, who you... saw yesterday, was in that fire, so I understand why you don't wanna talk about it. I just wanted to apologize for keeping that from you."

"I-If you knew..." Cinder began, unable to meet the younger woman's gaze. "Why don't you hate me? Don't you think I did it?"

Yang shook her head. "I saw you on TV, during your trial." She explained. "You never said anything, just sat there and took it... it just didn't fit, someone who could do something like that wouldn't do that, they'd fight, they'd be angry and defensive. You didn't look guilty to me, you just looked... beaten, even when the verdict was delivered."

"Even so... why are you being so nice to me?" Cinder mumbled.

"Because you deserve it." Yang stated. "I knew that if I treated you differently it would make you feel... uncomfortable, or left out or something like that, so in the end I decided to just treat you like I would anyone else."

That explained why Cinder felt so at ease around her... and she was thankful for that. If it was not for Yang, there was no way she would be as comfortable as she was at work. Not only did she apologize for not telling her she knew about the incident, but she treated her normally _because_ of it. No . Unsurprisingly, Cinder felt tears welling up in her eye. How pitiful. Years ago she hardly teared up at anything, now apparently all it took was someone telling her they treated her just like everyone else. A small smile found its way onto her face. Her high school self would be _pissed_ at that statement.

"Are you okay?" Yang asked, a look of concern on her face.

Cinder nodded, wiping the tears from her eye. "Yes, it's just nice to hear that someone's treating me normally despite what happened." Then she let out a small chuckle. "And it's a bit sad to realize how easily I cry now."

"Nah, I get that." Yang chuckled. "But have you ever cried after looking at a pair of your pajamas?"

Cinder raised her brown in confusion. "I can't say I have. Could you... elaborate on that?"

"Well it's a pretty long story so I'll just give you the basics. We can talk about it another time if you wanna hear the rest." Yang explained. "So a few years back my sister bought me this pair of black cat pajamas, which at the time I thought was really funny because I had a Faunus friend, my best friend... who's trait was cat ears." She paused for a moment before shaking her head - possibly an unpleasant memory. "Anyways, since they reminded me of her, seeing them and wearing them... it always made me smile. But then... then she moved away..." She sighed. "I remember crying the first time I saw those pajamas after she was gone..." Yang let out a small chuckle. "It's silly isn't it? Crying at the mere sight of pajamas..."

Cinder shook her head. "Not at all. I have a box of loose photos in my apartment... Even now, I still can't bear to look at them..."

"I guess that's the problem with these sorts of things, hard to keep, even harder to get rid of." Yang shrugged.

"Tell me about it." Cinder mumbled.

"Well, we should probably get back to work." Yang advised. "Don't wanna leave Vernal alone for _too_ long."

"Yeah..."

"You need a minute?" Yang wondered as she stood up from her chair.

Cinder slowly nodded. "If that's alright."

"No problem, take your time." Yang smiled before heading out to the front area.

As soon as the door closed Cinder sighed. That was not how she expected that talk to go. Until then every prior conversation had been fairly light and casual, none of them got especially personal, at least when compared to that one.

After a few minutes of silence, Cinder decided it was time to return to work. As she raised from her seat, she heard the door to the front area open. Turning around, she noticed Yang peaking in. The words that left her mouth were ones that Cinder hoped she would not have to hear.

"Hey, uh, Pyrrha just got here... and she wants to talk to you."

* * *

"Enjoy your drinks."

Making sure to smile after handing the customers their beverages, Cinder made her way back to the bar counter. Vernal was still making the next set of drinks, so she decided to take a quick look around, see if anyone else needed anything. Scanning each booth in her section, she found everyone was taken care of - aside from the one Vernal was currently making drinks for. Then her eyes landed on the booth closest to the bathroom, where a certain red-haired woman sat alone.

 _She's still here_. Cinder grit, anger flaring in her chest. If she recalled correctly, when she learned of the woman's presence she told her to go away, yet there she was, sitting there, waiting. Unfortunately for her, unless she wanted a drink - which Yang already asked - Cinder was not going to acknowledge her. She had work to do. So that was what she did.

Over an hour passed, Cinder just continuing on with her day, doing her best to ignore Pyrrha - Hopefully she could last until the end of her shift. She saw Yang check on her a few times, but she assured the blonde all she wanted was to speak with Cinder - which was not going to happen. Unfortunately, the more time passed, the more abundantly clear it became that Pyrrha was not leaving. Eventually, Cinder got fed up.

Approaching the younger woman, Cinder tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Yang?"

Yang turned to face the other woman. "What's up?"

"Would you be able to... cover for me for a few minutes?" Cinder hesitantly asked before glancing over at Pyrrha. "I need to... handle something."

Yang must have seen where Cinder was looking, judging from her response. "Uh, sure. No problem."

Cinder offered a small smile. "Thanks. I shouldn't be long." As the younger woman turned back to go back to work, Cinder took a deep breath before approaching the lone redhead. If she was being honest, she had no idea what to expect. Pyrrha likely either wanted to talk about the incident, or about Ruby... or both. She hoped it was not both. Either way, whatever this was, Cinder was going to make sure it was quick. As she made it to the booth, Pyrrha looked up, her lips curling up to form a slight smile.

"Thank you for seeing me-"

" _What do you want?"_ Cinder near-growled. She did not exactly mean for it to come out _that_ hostile, but it was too late.

Pyrrha was shocked for a moment, but quickly composed herself. "I just want to talk. Explain things."

"Very well." Cinder flatly responded, failing to keep bitterness from entering her tone as she took a seat opposite the redheaded woman. "Explain."

"I wanted to apologize for returning so soon... I realize our meeting did not go well, with Ruby..." Pyrrha sighed. "The fire threw our lives into chaos, Ruby more so than others. Not only did she nearly lose her own life, but that of her closest friend, Velvet... as well as the friend who introduced her to me... Jaune... _my_ closest friend..." Pyrrha swallowed the lump in her throat, wiping at the tears welling in her eyes. "We had planned to be married in the fall, Velvet was to be our photographer, Jaune my best man..." A small smile found its way onto her face. "Ruby had me play the part of the groom, she said it would be funny to look back on."

"I'm sure it was." Cinder deadpanned. Already feeling anger set in, she clenched a fist under the table. Her time was being wasted hearing about the struggles of people she does not care for, and might as well not care for her. "At least you had a wedding."

Pyrrha blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Cinder grit her teeth. She wanted so badly to yell at the other woman, _scream_ at her, but she was able to suppress her anger, if only partially. "Oh woe is you, the woman who married her soulmate." She shot. Pyrrha opened her mouth a few times to respond, but no response came, so she continued, her anger only rising. Leaning closer to the other woman, Cinder kept her voice low, lest she disturb the other customers. "You think you know what loss is? Did you wake up handcuffed to a hospital bed with the entire left side of your body burnt to a crisp? Did a nurse then tell you the love of your life had perished in the fire that you would soon be blamed for? Did you have to appear in court where you had to face the fact that your life as you knew it was over?" Cinder could feel her heart beating uncomfortably fast as she struggled to contain her anger. "So don't you _dare_ tell me you understand my loss, you may have lost friends, but you were able to move on and continue you life. _I couldn't_. You get to wake up next to your wife every single day, while I have to wake up knowing that my soulmate is _gone_ and is never coming back."

In response, Pyrrha looked... genuinely shocked, seemingly unable to respond. "I... I had no idea..." She managed.

"Such details weren't important for trying to convict an arsonist, a _murderer_." Cinder muttered, her gaze falling. When she looked back up, she saw something she never expected - tears streaming down Pyrrha's face.

"I'm so sorry Cinder..." Pyrrha near-sobbed. "I know you had it rough from seeing you during the trial, as well as the other day... but I never imagined you lost someone so important to you..."

"She wasn't just important, she was my life, and she's gone." Cinder shot as she raised from her seat. "If that's all you wanted to say, I'm going to quit wasting my time and get back to work. Have a nice day." She bid before heading back to the bar counter to join Yang, who offered an awkward smile as she noticed her.

"Hey... you okay?" Yang wondered, a slight look of concern on her face.

"No." Cinder huffed, gritting her teeth as she attempted to school her features. "But I can handle it, I just want to get back to work."

"Oh, well, I've got everything handled for now, why don't you go take a break?" Yang suggested.

"Very well. I'll be back soon." Cinder responded before making her way into the back room. Once there, she slumped into one of the chairs, breathing a sigh of relief. _What a disaster_. She did not expect the talk to go well, but all the bitch did was whine about her own struggles. What were they compared to her own? She did not lose her fiancé, they were happily married, so what if they lost friends. Cinder lost her life. It was infuriating. Reaching down her shirt, she pulled out Emerald's ring. Holding the scorched piece of jewelry in her hand, she took a deep breath. _She's not worth your anger_. Cinder told herself, over and over again. Soon enough she could feel her anger begin to subside. Opening her palm, she gazed down at the ring and smiled. It was ironic really, it was a clear reminder that Emerald was never coming back, yet it was still able calm her.

Suddenly Cinder heard a door open. She expected it to be Yang, likely to tell her to come back to work, but it was not. Instead she was met with Raven's normal tired gaze. Once again, the words that left her mouth were ones that Cinder hated to hear.

"Hey Cinder, can we talk?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know it's a little short, but I wanted to get something out before Christmas. So Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year as well, as there's probably no way I can get another chapter out in just over a week.

Anyway, as always, your feedback fuels me!


	7. Surprises

**Author's Note** : Happy New Year!

* * *

Cinder hated getting called into the boss' office.

Sure, she was not nearly as terrified as the last time she was in Raven's office, but that did not mean she was not scared. As the pair entered, Cinder could already feel her heartbeat increasing. All her life whenever anyone had asked her _Can we talk_ , it has never ended well for her. After all, one could argue those words were what started all of this. Cinder sighed. She spent enough time focusing on the past, rather than what was right in front of her - which was currently her boss.

Taking a seat behind her desk, Raven gestured for Cinder to sit. After choosing one of wooden chairs in front of the desk, the room was silent for several minutes, which only served to make Cinder more nervous.. Finally, Raven took a deep breath, almost making her flinch.

"So, the reason I called you in here..." Raven started, before trailing off and sighing. "Alright, this isn't gonna work. You mind if I come around?"

Cinder blinked. "Oh, s-sure..." She hesitantly responded, to which her boss nodded, raising from her chair and walking around her desk before taking the other seat. Seeing how close Raven now was made Cinder instantly regret her response - She looked a lot more muscular up close. It made her extremely grateful that she chose to sit in the left chair - ensuring Raven did not have to look at her injured side.

"Anyways, so to be clear, this isn't work talk, well, not really." Raven explained. "I mean, I'm still your boss, I'm just not... speaking as your boss..." She huffed. "Point is, you're not in trouble or anything." That relieved Cinder. But at the same time, if she was not in trouble, why did Raven want to talk with her? "Yang told me how she spoke with you about the fire."

Cinder timidly nodded. _So that's what it was._

"So I thought it might be a good idea to talk to you about it myself." Raven continued. Cinder had a feeling she knew where this was going. "I knew about the situation, before you told me over the phone. It was hard not to, shitty accident, with my daughter-in-law involved... though I'm more an aunt than anything to her." She sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to give the impression I hired out of pity or anything, you got hired on your own merit."

"It's... It's okay..." Cinder mumbled. She was thankful that Yang talked to her earlier, it got at least some of the surprise out of the- Wait a second. "You... think it was an accident?"

"Either that or someone else set it." Raven guessed. "I'll be honest, I thought it was you when the first details came out. If you'd come after a job then I'd have laid you out for putting Ruby in danger." Then she saw the strained look on the younger woman's face. " _But_ , then I saw you in court, and I've seen some shit Cinder, people can be real scum, but you didn't have the look about you, you just looked lost, tired and hurt, you didn't come off as guilty, and the verdict agreed with me. Now I won't pry, it's none of my business, but after that trial was over only a moron could think you were _actually_ guilty."

So much for no surprises. Sure, Raven apologizing was surprising on its own, but the fact that she changed her mind so drastically - all from just seeing her in court - left Cinder speechless. She opened her mouth a few times to respond, but nothing came out. Her boss just patiently waited. After a solid minute of silence, she was finally able to manage a response. "Thank you..."

"Just to be clear, you're not gonna be treated any differently here." Raven added. "Everyone here's got shit in their past."

Cinder slowly nodded. "Right..."

"And look, I get what it feels like to have your past catch up with you." Raven continued. "It sucks. You think you can get away from them, have a fresh start... but you never can. The past always catches up sooner or later."

Cinder blinked. "Get away from... _them?"_

Raven sighed. "Don't worry about it. That's a story for another day."

Cinder just timidly nodded. She had a feeling she should not have asked about that. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

"Just remember, dysfunctional as we are, we're family here, we have your back."

* * *

Once Cinder returned from the break room - or Raven's office as she specified - it was back to work as normal. Vernal stayed behind the counter while Yang and Cinder continued to handle the waitressing. It was not exactly quiet, but it was not busy either - which was nice, as it gave the blonde a chance to keep an eye on Cinder while she worked. She seemed to be doing well - thankfully Pyrrha had departed by the time she came back - but Yang made sure to at least check up on her every once in a while.

As Yang approached the bar to give Vernal a new order, the other woman held up her hand, beckoning her closer. Raising a brow, she leaned across the counter.

"What's up?"

"Just a heads up, chick in the corner's been staring at you for like ten minutes." Vernal informed.

Yang blinked. Someone was staring at her? Slowly tilting her head to the side, she peeked over at the specified booth, and her jaw nearly dropped. It was... _Neo_. What was she doing here? Whenever she visited, she would always send a sort of warning beforehand, along with her drink order... which she always wanted ready by the time she arrived. Yang watched as a smirk found its way onto Neo's face before using a single finger to signal her over. She could not help but smile back before turning back to Vernal. "Well, it looks like _booty calls_." She joked.

Vernal just rolled her eyes. "You wanna give me those orders first?"

"Oh yeah, two Atlesian Ambers." Yang answered, to which Vernal simply nodded before getting to work. "I'll be right back." Making her way over to the corner booth, she watched as Neo's smirk grew as she approached. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly pulled down by the collar, lips meeting her own in an expectedly aggressive kiss. The only kisses she could ever recall getting from Neo were aggressive, forceful, _hungry_... anything but soft really. Then she felt a tongue snake its way into her mouth, and it tasted... not of mint... which was odd... Neo _always_ brushed her teeth before going out. So what made this occasion different? She must have eaten before she came. Whatever that taste was, it was familiar... yet alien, like something she had not had in a long time... But what was it? It was on the tip of her tongue... quite literally. Before she was able to figure it out, Neo suddenly released her. Yang almost wobbled as she stood back up.

It was funny, kissing Neo was not a very common occurrence, but when she did... that woman was damn good at it. As she sat back down, Yang straightened herself out. "You gonna have your usual?" She asked, to which Neo simply nodded. "One strawberry Margarita coming right up."

Making her way back to the counter, Yang informed Vernal of Neo's order before she was given the two Atlesian Ambers from the previous one. She was sure to bring those customers their drinks as quickly as she could, as she knew Neo hated waiting. Once that was done, she collected the Margarita from the counter and brought it to the corner booth.

"One strawberry Margarita for one lovely lady." Yang smiled as she placed the drink onto the table. Rather than simply grin back like she expected, Neo raised her arm, beckoning the blonde closer with her finger. She raised a brow. Was she in store for another kiss? Probably not, but might as well humour her. Yang leaned down towards Neo, and what she received was in fact not a kiss, but something far more... surprising. She huffed at the new pressure on her left breast, leveling a resigned grin down at the smirking mute before her, hand brazenly groping her asset. "Babe, please." She sighed, it was not that she did not like Neo touching her. "I'm working."

Neo merely tilted her head, batting her eyes as her fingers roamed, straying past the sensitive nub beneath her bra. "C'mon." Yang murmured, barely suppressing a shudder. Gods she hated how she felt right now. "Mom's here- _ah_!" She squeaked at a brand new pressure, on her crotch, Neo's free hand attempting to stimulate her far further than she was willing to endure, given the circumstances. She pulled away. "Neo, baby, honey, please, not in public, okay?"

In response, Neo just frowned, leaning back into her seat before picking up her drink and taking out her scroll. It seemed that was all the attention Yang was going to get, at least for the time being. "Okay, I'll uh, I'll be around if you need anything else." She mumbled, her smile fading. Making her way back to the bar counter, she was met by Cinder, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright Yang?" Cinder wondered as the blonde placed her empty tray onto the counter.

Yang sighed. "Yeah... yeah I'm fine. Just an uh, _unexpected_ visit."

Cinder tilted her head, likely taking a look over at the corner booth, before her eye widened. After a moment she quickly recovered. "May I... ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"What's her name?" Cinder asked, gesturing behind Yang.

Turning her head, Yang found the other woman was pointing at Neo. "Oh, that's Neo. She's uh, the one I told you about the other day." Yang explained. "Why do you ask? You know her or somethin'?"

"I used to." Cinder simply responded.

Yang quirked a brow. "You used to?"

"I dated her in high school."

 _Wow, small world_. Yang thought to herself. What were the odds that her new co-worker and current friend with benefits dated in high school? Probably fairly low. Yang wondered how they- wait a second. "How... old are you? If you don't mind me asking of course."

"Thirty four." Cinder replied.

Yang blinked. "Wait, really?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "No, I'm actually a thousand. Yes Yang I'm thirty four."

"No no, I believe you, it's just... wow, Neo's a lot older than I thought."

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "I understand that. The only reason I knew her age was because she was a grade below me, and even then it was only a guess."

Yang thought for a moment, causing her to realize something. "She's never talked about high school before."

"I don't recall her ever talking." Cinder observed with a slight smirk.

Yang laughed. "Good point."

"Quite an... interesting girl that one." Cinder added.

"What was she like in high school?" Yang inquired.

Cinder did not respond immediately, likely thinking back to that time, as it was quite a while ago, even for the blonde. "She was... an acquired taste, to put it simply."

"Acquired taste huh? Yeah that sounds about right." Yang chuckled. Before she could continue she felt her scroll vibrate from her pocket. Pulling the device free, she found a text from... Neo. It only read a single word: _Done_. Turning her head, Yang found the mute staring at her from the corner booth, a smirk on her face as she held up her empty glass. "It seems my services are required." Cinder just nodded before the blonde made her way back over to Neo. "You want another drink?" Yang wondered. Neo simply shook her head before handing the empty glass to her. The next thing to do was discuss the bill, but she knew the other woman did not want to pay, evident by the fact that she was not even reaching for her wallet. Might as well make it seem like it was at least her idea. "Well you know it's always on the house for you babe." She smiled.

Neo simply raised from her seat before shuffling out of the booth. Yang was not expecting another kiss, or even a hug really. Neo was not one for... call them _cute_ displays of affection - hugs, quick kisses, hand-holding, all that things the blonde wished she could have.

"Hey, so- _ah_!" Yang gasped as she felt Neo's small hand firmly grope her rear, the shorter woman briefly smirking up at her and winking before walking past her to exit the bar. Once she was gone, Yang sighed.

"It was nice seeing you too..."

* * *

Yang needed a break.

Once Neo had left, she decided to take a few minutes to rest in the back room. Even without the public groping, her visits were sometimes... trying to say the least. She always ordered the same drink, though that did not mean she was an easy person to serve. Whenever Yang was bartending, she had to make sure to use precise amounts of ingredients, a specific type of glass, and always have it ready by the time she arrived - at least normally, when she warned her. Thankfully Neo was a bit more lenient with her preferences when Vernal was bartending.

After grabbing quick snack, Yang returned to the front area - No more excitement, no more surprising visits, just... normal work. Just how she liked it. Sure it was not exactly the most complicated or sophisticated job around, but it was fulfilling, and she enjoyed it.

"Enjoy your drinks!" Yang beamed as she placed several drinks in front of another group of customers. They gave her their thanks and she turned to head back to the bar counter. But before she could, she heard an all-to-familiar voice from behind her.

"Hey there blondie, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?"

Yang could not help but grin, as she knew _exactly_ who that voice belonged to. A normally soft, pleasant sound, practically ruined when she put on that edgy punk act. Turning around, she was met by the smiling face of Weiss. "Hey punk stuff. You _still_ sound super lame."

With her lips still curled in a smile, Weiss rolled her eyes. "And here I thought I was getting better."

"Nah, even now you're like one of those teenagers that always come in on Fridays." Yang chuckled. "Plus those baby blue eyes of yours don't exactly help."

Weiss blinked. "Wait, what?"

"I thought your contacts were dark orange." Yang added.

Pulling out her scroll, Weiss checked her reflection, and instantly scowled. "Ugh, _fuck_ , I knew I forgot something." She huffed. "Am I really not improving?"

"That depends, are you trying to sound like an edgy teenager?" Yang wondered, a smirk on her face.

"That's rude."

"But accurate." The blonde grinned.

Weiss sighed. "What do I have to do, work a moan into my speech?"

Yang held back a giggle. "Oh please do. I would love to hear that." The other woman raised a brow in response. "I mean, uh, shut up you know what I mean."

Weiss laughed. "Yes I know what you mean Yang."

"So, you want me to get your girlfriend?" Yang asked, changing the subject.

"I'm actually looking for your mom." Weiss clarified.

Yang quirked a brow. "Oh? Is Vernal not enough of a badass for you?"

Weiss rolled her eyes again. "Oh hush you, it's about having my birthday party here."

There it was, that uptight cadence. No matter how punk Weiss forced herself to be, if ever she reprimanded someone that rousing tone always crept back into her voice. It made Yang smile. She much preferred it when she used her normal voice. "Really? You know she's gonna say yes Weiss. We did have your party here last year after all."

"I know I know, I just want to make sure." Weiss added.

"Alright, well she's in her office." Yang informed.

"Thanks!" Weiss smiled before making her way over to the bar.

Yang watched as she lifted and passed under the hatch, where she was met by Vernal - who instantly pulled her into a passionate kiss. It was kind of sweet- _Oh now they're using tongue... How pleasant_. She had to bite down a sigh. This was the public affection she craved, a real kiss between lovers, not just shameless groping. Sure Vernal and Weiss participated in that quite often but the two shared a much more meaningful intimacy in public. She wished Neo would kiss her like that... or kiss her at all, without expecting anything in return.

Soon enough the pair separated - thankfully - and Weiss headed into the back area. Yang decided to just get back to work, but unfortunately all her customers seemed to be happy with their drinks for the time being. Even Cinder had all of hers covered - Which was great, but at the same time, that meant there was nothing to do, at least until Weiss returned.

Luckily Yang did not have to wait long, as the wannabe punk soon exited the back area. She briefly spoke to Vernal - looking very happy - before approaching the blonde.

"So? What'd she say?" Yang wondered.

"It seems we are having my party here." Weiss smiled.

"Told ya."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well excuse me for wanting to be sure I could use the bar for the day."

"And now that mom's agreed to it, what do you think you wanna do for the party?" Yang asked.

Weiss did not respond immediately - likely thinking about her answer. "I just want to... be around family." She shrugged, smiling meekly. "I realize you guys aren't my _real_ family, but my only actual real family is my sister, and she's busy all the time. You guys are the family I have here, and I love you guys."

"Aww, how sappy." Yang smiled. "You're gonna make me cry."

"Well it's true." Weiss stated. "You, Vernal, Ruby, Pyrrha, you're all my family."

Yang raised a brow. "Even Raven?"

Weiss nodded. "Even Raven."

"Even Qrow?"

Weiss let out a small chuckle. "Don't push it."

"Aw come on, Qrow's not _that_ bad!" Yang laughed.

Weiss joined the blonde in laughter. "I know I know, I was only joking."

Suddenly Yang felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned to find Cinder standing behind her, an empty tray timidly held over her chest. "What's up Cinder?"

"Hey." Weiss greeted, in her punk voice. Yang had to bite back a smile. It was always amusing to watch her act like that to other people.

"H-Hello..." Cinder nodded to Weiss before turning back to Yang. "Would you... like me to cover for you for a little while?" She wondered. "Since it's not that busy... and you did the same for me earlier..."

Yang blinked, not expecting the offer. "Oh, sure. That would be great!" She answered with a smile. Turning back to Weiss, she gestured to the end of the bar. "You wanna go sit in the back for a bit?"

Weiss shrugged. "Sure thing blondie." Still in that voice - still amusing.

"Cool." Yang briefly turned to the older woman. "If you need anything, just come get me." She smiled.

"Of course." Cinder nodded.

Making their way into the back room, the pair took their seats on opposite sides of the lone table. As Weiss sat down, she sighed. "Have I ever told you how much I hate the fact that you can just take breaks whenever you want?"

Yang thought for a moment. "Probably... at least a dozen times now?" She guessed, knowing how much the other woman disliked her job. "But I can't just take one whenever I want, most of the time I need someone to cover for me if I want a break."

"Still better than a single ten minute break per shift." Weiss huffed. "Can I just work here please?"

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Well for one, you've never worked a day at a bar in your life, and second, you already have a job that involves _ice cream_! I mean come on, I would _love_ to work with ice cream!"

Weiss slumped onto the table. "Yang, you have _no idea_ how sick and tired I am of ice cream, I don't even want my favourite anymore! Just looking at that frozen dairy crap makes my wrist cramp up." She complained, raising her hands for emphasis.

"Well then, _I should probably return that ice cream themed birthday present I got you_..." Yang pretended to mumble to herself.

Weiss giggled. "I know you didn't get me something ice cream themed Yang."

Yang smirked. "Did I?"

Weiss slightly narrowed her eyes. "Did you?"

Yang did not respond immediately - on purpose of course - attempting to get Weiss to actually think she did. Once her expression began shifting from suspicious to slightly concerned, Yang smiled. "Nah, I got you something _super_ cool."

Weiss quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? _Super cool_ huh?"

"Yup! _Super_ cool and _super_ secret!" Yang confirmed with a grin.

"Does that mean no hints?" Weiss asked, an innocent smile on her face.

One part of living alone with Ruby for five years was the constant exposure to _the face_ \- that being the younger sibling's puppy dog eyes that she would use to try to get what she wanted. Weiss was doing very something similar now - the same thing she tried the previous year - but unfortunately for her, Ruby did not teach her well enough in the art of _the face_. Yang smirked. "Nice try."

"It was worth a shot."

"Sorry punk stuff, I know those eyes _all too well_." Yang continued. "Plus that getup doesn't exactly help."

Looking down at her outfit, Weiss giggled. "I suppose I can't be cute and intimidating at the same time."

"Unless you're an angry Ruby." Yang noted.

Weiss smiled. "Yes, unless you're an angry Ruby."

"Oh! That actually reminds me, have you seen any of the recent season of Truffle Troop?" Yang inquired.

Weiss shook her head, her smile fading. "I haven't gotten the chance, Vernal doesn't like it when I watch too many cartoons."

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Yeah I know how you feel... kinda. Neo can get like that too sometimes."

"Speaking of... how is Neo?" Weiss wondered.

Yang shrugged. "Oh, you know... talkative."

Weiss quirked a brow. "Didn't you say she was mute?"

"Yup."

The room was silent for a moment, until Weiss seemingly figured it out. "Oh, right, a joke, hah."

Yang just laughed.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter, just like chapter 3, 2/3 of these scenes were supposed to be in the previous chapter, but it was getting to long. Plus I wanted to get 6 out before Christmas.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! And as always, your feedback fuels me!


	8. Deterioration

The ceiling was truly a fascinating space.

Blank, white paint, peeling in places, a single fan stationary in its middle. The light fixture it carried was cracked - how on Earth it came to be cracked Cinder would never guess. People were bizarre creatures, doing so many random, illogical things. Stupid things. Like refusing to sleep, despite fatigue dragging them deeper into the mattress, begging, pleading for rest. Stupid, idiot human body, weak and unable to grow stronger, because of all the things Cinder could suffer from, a bout of insomnia was her curse.

She had been laying there for two hours now, if her perception of the clock was accurate. At this point lucid dreaming would not surprise her. Perhaps the clock would turn into a hamburger, at least that would distract her from the monotonous suffering. Nora was entertaining an overnight client, so that avenue was denied, and she was not exactly on texting terms with anyone else yet. As if anyone else would have such trouble sleeping. She was tired, anyone would be after standing around all day. Apparently that was not enough. Her mind had decided to dig its heels in tonight. Perhaps it was to avoid the nightmares. At this point she would willingly suffer a thousand for just an hour of sleep.

Tossing her covers off, Cinder sluggishly slid onto her feet. She walked across the room, pushing open the door to her bathroom and slapping a hand on the light attached to her vanity, filling the room with a gentle red glow. An odd idea Emerald had left her with, after many nights of grousing at the harshness of bathroom lighting, a five lien led light coloured red with magic marker cut the glare and suffering of late night visits by a magnitude. Now it provided sufficient mood lighting as Cinder stared herself down in the cracked mirror. The line splitting her face harshly past her nose.

"You look like hell." She huffed at her reflection, her shadowed eyes barely open, scars on display for her displeasure. "But I don't give a shit, you're being stupid." Her reflection said nothing more, not that she expected it to. She was not insane, just tired.

"You have work in... seven hours, do you want to spend the day tripping over your own feet? Like a fool?" Cinder spat, almost literally, she was practically drooling, and she was not even asleep yet. "This is our only chance, we fuck this up and there's nothing else, we can't take losing this job, you get that? There's nothing left, no safety net, no kickbacks. We're not relying on Nora to keep us up if we fall again, and it'll be on you, so stop being stubborn and go, the fuck, to sleep!" If she was yelling, it barely registered, the world felt like a haze around her, sound filtered through radio, image through a looking glass, the cool porcelain beneath her hands felt distant.

As if she was merely a shadow of her own consciousness.

Her reflection stared, furious in its silence. For a moment she wanted to smash it, destroy that ugly thing, that scarred remnant of a once strong woman. But that would not solve anything. She would just fuck up her hand, and then Raven would make her take the day off again. Then she would probably lose the job. Why bother keeping on a waste of space who is not smart enough not to pick a fight with her own reflection?

Cinder should be committed. But instead she staggered back to the bed and fell upon its covers, arms wrapping around the pillows as she let loose a howl of frustration into the deflating mass.

She was just so tired.

* * *

 _The weather sure was lovely today._

The sun was shining, there were barely any clouds in the sky, the temperature was comfortable... Cinder remembered what she used to do on days like this - Taking Emerald on a nice lunch out, spending the afternoon on the beach... But now... she was standing behind a bar counter, idly staring out the window, trying to find something to focus on to keep herself awake.

The Perch was fairly unoccupied, and with Yang busy cleaning tables Cinder had no one to talk to, but luckily there seemed to be someone arguing on their scroll across the street. She wondered who they were fighting with. Perhaps a sibling, a parent, a friend, maybe a lover, though it made no difference, their petty anger was her entertainment for the time being. Several minutes passed as she continued to watch them, their conversation appearing to be really heating up - it was quite amusing if she was being honest.

If only it were amusing enough to rid her of this feeling of utter exhaustion.

Cinder wished she had something that could help with that. She did have a cup of coffee before she left for work, but the effects of the caffeine had worn off by the time she arrived. Maybe she should buy some stronger coffee. Or possibly... something stronger than that. Her neighbourhood was not exactly the most pleasant place around, so there was a definite possibility that there was at least one drug dealer that hung around there. Maybe she could see about getting something that could... help her stay awake - something she desperately needed at this point.

Unfortunately, Cinder was not exactly an expert on illicit drugs, aside from how she knew most of them were _downers_. She needed something that was an _upper_ \- something that would be able to keep her from collapsing. There were a couple options that came to mind, but neither of them looked good. The first was... cocaine, but that was an obvious no. It was true she was desperate, but she was not insane. That shit was the downfall of rich and poor alike. Plus there was no way in hell that she was going to put that up their nose. Cinder would _not_ be seen as trashy... at least not any more trashy than she already seemed. But there was another option... speed. Sure it was not exactly a _good_ option, but it was at least better than cocaine... as far as she knew. As long as she kept it to small doses only, it should be fine... she hoped.

Then another thought came to mind. Rather than worrying about something that would keep her awake, maybe Cinder should look for something that could help her sleep - or at least relax. Luckily she knew just the thing for that.

Though Cinder had not partaken in it in quite some time - the last being in high school - she found that pot helped immensely with her anxiety. Perhaps now it could solve her insomnia problem... and maybe help with relaxing on her days off. She could sure use it. Plus, pot was harmless - at least when it was not abused. Though if she did get back into it, she would have to invest in some snacks, since it gave her _the munchies_ as people called it. She would also need company, as getting high alone was, well, lonely. Sadly Nora was usually busy with her... _customers_... But maybe Yang would partake...

Turning away from the front window, Cinder looked to the blonde, who she found to be standing right in front of the bar... staring at her. She watched Yang open her mouth to speak, but the words that left it did not register.

" _Cinder_?" Yang spoke again.

"Yes?" Cinder managed after a moment of silence.

"You okay?" Yang inquired. She likely noticed how spaced out the older woman was.

"No, but I'll live." Cinder simply responded.

"Do you... wanna talk about it?" Yang offered. "I have been told I'm a pretty good listener." She added with a smile.

Cinder did not respond immediately, unsure if she wanted to burden Yang with her problems. Maybe she would just keep it simple, lest she cause any worry. "I've just... been having trouble sleeping lately."

"I know that struggle." Yang commented. "You know what's causing it?" Then her mouth curled into a grin. "Or _who's_ causing it?"

Even in her current state, Cinder could not help but let out a small chuckle. "Unfortunately it's not sex that has been keeping me awake." Then her gaze fell. This was not exactly something she _wanted_ to discuss, but there was no use hiding it. She tried that with the accident, and it turned out they already knew. _Might as well tell her_. "It's nightmares."

Yang's grin quickly vanished in response, replaced with a look of concern. "How long have you been having them?"

Cinder thought the answer was obvious, but maybe the blonde did not think they had been constant - which sadly they practically were. "Since the accident."

"Have you gone to see anyone about it?" Yang inquired.

Cinder sighed. "By the time I was ready to confront people again... I couldn't afford it."

"Do you have another way of dealing with them?" Yang asked, the look on her face becoming one of worry.

Cinder shook her head. "There are times when I have Nora there to help calm me down, but most of the time I just... try to go back to sleep."

Yang raised a brow. "Nora?"

"The girl I told you about." Cinder informed. "I met her when I moved into my current apartment. If it were not for her, I'm not sure if I would be standing here today..."

"Cinder... I had no idea..." Yang managed.

"It's alright." Cinder assured, attempting to plaster on a smile. "I will admit I was in a fairly bad place, but it has been getting better, if slowly."

After a moment Yang slowly nodded. "Well, as long as you're doing better... Oh, and I know it's not exactly the best solution, but I find that when I have nightmares, it helps to have a shot of rum... or two..."

Well, the blonde was not wrong. "I suppose that could help... if I actually had any liquor available..."

"Do you want some?" Yang asked, slightly perking up.

"Do I... want some?" Cinder echoed, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"I mean we've got tons of it here, so if you ever want a bottle of anything, just let me know." Yang explained. "I'll pay for it." She added with a smile. "Just as long as it isn't too expensive."

Cinder blinked. Was she serious? "I... really?"

"Of course." Yang responded. "I know what it's like to be plagued with nightmares, so it's the least I can do."

A smile found its way to Cinder's face. It was a fairly simple gesture yes, but that did not mean it did not mean anything. "Thank you..."

"No problem." Yang smiled. "But in the meantime, why don't you take an sports drink or an energy drink from the mini fridge below the bar? It'll help keep you up until you get home."

Energy drinks? Leaning back to look under the counter, Cinder spotting the mini fridge in question. She crouched down to peer inside, and found a variety of bottles and cans lining the shelves, filled with red, blue, orange, green, and even yellow-coloured liquids. They were not _bad_ per se, but how some people could drink so much of this stuff was beyond her. Eventually she decided on one of the energy drinks - Hunter - because she sure needed the energy. Plus it was a brand she recognized, so she at least knew she somewhat enjoyed it.

After closing the mini fridge and standing back up, Cinder popped open the tab and took a sip, and... wow. She forgot how extremely sweet energy drinks were... and how sour the aftertaste was. Then the blonde chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Cinder questioned.

"Have you ever had an energy drink before?" Yang wondered. "Cause your face tells me this is your first time."

"It has been quite a while, but yes, I have." Cinder answered.

"How long has it been?"

"Since high school." Cinder informed. "They were very beneficial for when I was up late working or at parties. By the time I entered university I had stopped drinking them, as I did not attend nearly as many parties anymore because of Emerald, and I had moved onto coffee for work."

"Emerald?"

 _Shit_. "She was... my partner, before all of this..." Cinder began. As much as she did not want to be having this conversation, it was her own fault for mentioning her name. "She..." Cinder took a deep breath, fighting the urge to tear up. "She... passed, in the fire."

Yang did not respond immediately, likely trying to formulate a response. "Cinder... I'm so sorry, I can't imagine what you went through..."

Cinder shook her head. "Don't be. You didn't know."

After a moment Yang slowly nodded. "Okay... If you need anything, just let me know, alright?"

Cinder offered a small smile. "Thank you Yang." It was nice to know someone other than Nora would be there for her. After all, that redhead deserves a break from all that she does for her.

A few moments passed in silence before Yang spoke up once again. "So... got any plans this weekend?"

Cinder was thankful for the change in subject. "I'm not sure. I might see what Nora's up to, so long as she isn't... busy with work."

"Busy on the weekend? What kind of job does she have?" Yang asked.

"She's an... _an escort_..." Cinder hesitantly answered, her voice lowering as she spoke.

Yang blinked. "As in the type of escort who..." She leaned closer. " _Picks people up for sex_?" To which the older woman nodded. "Oh wow, I uh, wow."

Cinder raised her brow. "What?"

"Sorry, I just didn't think you were the type of person to be hanging around someone like that." Yang admitted.

Cinder let out a chuckle. "Believe me Yang, if she hadn't tried to pick me up when we first met, I never would have guessed she was... _in that line of work_."

Yang's eyes went wide in surprise, a grin spreading across her face. "Oh you have _got_ to tell me that story!" She laughed.

Cinder could not help but join the blonde in laughter.

"Maybe another time Yang."

* * *

It was amazing how a dreadful morning could turn into a fairly pleasant afternoon.

Not only did Cinder gain the necessary energy to actually get through the day thanks to that Hunter energy drink - she was not sure if she could have stayed awake without it - but she also got Yang's number. Well, sort of. It was more like the blonde insisted she have it, saying something about how she should have more than one person to talk to on a regular basis. If Cinder was being honest, she appreciated the gesture. It had been quite some time since she made a new friend.

And so the day continued on.

Several hours passed, the bar slowly filling with customers as more and more people finished their workdays. All was fairly normal until a familiar girl - clad in an unusually pink dress shirt under her spiked black leather jacket - trudged through the front entrance... and she did _not_ look happy. Cinder silently hoped she would approach Yang instead of her, but unfortunately that would not be the case, as she headed straight to the bar counter.

Breathing a heavy sigh as she sat down, she turned to Cinder, a tired look in her eyes. "Hey." She spoke, causing the older woman to flinch. It was odd. The first time she met this girl, she spoke in such a soft, pleasant voice. But now her voice really fit her attire to say the least - aside from the pink shirt she was currently wearing.

"Good afternoon... Weiss?" Cinder guessed. She was fairly certain that was her name.

"That's my name sweetheart." Weiss confirmed. "Think you could get me some ice? My wrist is killing me due to how much _fucking_ ice cream I scooped today."

"Of course." Cinder nodded. Crouching down, she grabbed a plastic bag from the shelf before searching around for the ice. Eventually she was able to find some inside the freezer of one of the mini fridges. She placed several of the frozen cubes into the bag, making sure to get a napkin before handing the bundle to the other woman.

"Thanks." Weiss acknowledged, placing the napkin-covered bag over her left hand.

"If I may ask, why were you scooping so much ice cream?" Cinder inquired.

"I've got a job over at Two Scoops of Vale." Weiss informed. "And it. Fucking. _Sucks_."

"I suppose every job has its issues..." Cinder mumbled.

"You have _no_ idea." Weiss huffed. "It's only been a few weeks, and I have _never_ despised children as much as I do now. The job itself isn't _horrible_ , but having to deal with those little snot-nosed brats has made this job a living hell."

Cinder remembered the last time she was around children. It had been quite a long time, over a year ago to be precise... back before her life ended. Her prior boss, Salem, once brought her four daughters into work due to their babysitter calling in sick, and she had previously stated she did not trust daycare. Her husband was unable to pick them up until the mid-afternoon, so the girls hung around in Salem's office. That was until she had to attend an in-person meeting... and promptly left her children with Cinder. At first she was _very_ concerned, downright freaked out, seeing as she had zero experience with children, but soon discovered they were quite well behaved - simply taking to the spare table in Cinder's office to engage in their own quiet activities. Considering what Salem was like, she probably should have expected it, but she was just relieved it was a pleasant experience - unlike what Weiss was describing.

"I always end up having to listen to them bitch and moan to their parents about how they want _bigger sizes_ or _more toppings_." Weiss continued. "I am so _fucking_ tired of watching moronic parents try to calm down their whining kids and failing horribly."

Cinder opened her mouth to speak, aiming to ask why she does not quit, but the younger woman continued further.

"And don't even get me _started_ on how _infuriating_ some of my dumbass coworkers are." Weiss complained. "For one, they're all just immature high school students, which in and of itself means they're a pain in my ass. Not to mention my piece of shit boss. Fucking bitch continuously calls me _Weiss Cream_." She clenched her free fist. "Makes me want to break that stupid pierced nose of hers."

Cinder had to hold back a smile. _Weiss Cream_... That actually made her think about her own bosses. Salem was by far the longest one she had - and that was not even counting the time before she was promoted to head of engineering. Sure Salem was not _her_ boss during that time, but she was still _the_ boss. Strong, powerful, beautiful. That woman built the company from the ground up, and even after getting married, she continued to work from Mistral - _while on her honeymoon_. Hell, she had _four children_ and barely took any time off. Cinder had no idea how she could have possibly managed all that - Immortality maybe. That would have explained a lot.

On the contrary, there was Raven. Cinder had not worked for her for long - under two weeks in fact - but she could tell she was a respectable woman. One could argue she shared some of the same qualities with Salem - strength, power, and beauty - just, in a different way. While her former boss was quite proud of those qualities, her current one just seemed too tired to care. Cinder bet if she were to call Raven beautiful, she would just brush it off, as if it was untrue.

"She thinks she's _so much better_ than everyone else." Weiss continued once again, pulling Cinder from her thoughts. "Always thinking she knows best, constantly looking down on all of us, _especially_ me." She huffed. "Because I'm _short_ , as if that's anything notable, a lot of women are on the shorter side. I've made my peace with that, but just because she was a basketball player in high school she thinks it's clever to look down on me, the stupid jock _cunt_."

 _Wow_. Now that was a word Cinder was not expecting to hear today.

It was true a boss should _never_ look down on their employees, but the way Weiss was reacting to it all was... immature, and downright ignorant. If something like that bothered her _this_ much, then she has never had a real boss. Her suffering was her own fault, stature meant nothing in terms of intimidation.

"If you dislike the job so much, why have you stayed?" Cinder wondered.

Weiss breathed a heavy sigh. "I want to have another job lined up before I leave this one." She answered. "I'm trying to find something that I can actually be satisfied with, something that actually challenges me in a meaningful fashion. Unfortunately I never finished university, so I'm not qualified for any _real_ jobs, which is just fucking perfect. It's been over a _year_ and I still haven't found shit."

"If you're struggling to find a good job... why don't you go back to university?" Cinder asked.

"I just... I dunno." Weiss simply replied. "It's complicated."

Cinder understood that. Her whole life was complicated. She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the squeaky noise of the back door opening - revealing Vernal. As she approached, she grinned.

"Hey babe." Vernal greeted her girlfriend before facing the older woman. "Sorry I'm a bit late, traffic was shite, and I snoozed the alarm a few times..."

Cinder looked up at the clock hanging above the shelves behind her. "You have an alarm... for four thirty in the afternoon?" She hesitantly questioned. She may want to know the answer, but that woman still intimidated her.

"Well my little Snowflake here likes to make an effort to keep me on track." Vernal smirked, shooting a glance over at Weiss as she did so - who she realized was glaring at her.

"That's Snow _queen_ to you."

Vernal quirked a brow. "Oh is it?"

"Closet, _now_." Weiss near-commanded.

Vernal just chuckled. "Yes ma'am." Then she turned to Cinder. "You mind staying a bit later? We won't be long."

"Very well." Cinder simply replied, to which Vernal thanked her before she and Weiss headed into the back room.

It was interesting, while Raven allowed Vernal and Weiss to not only openly make out in the public space of the bar, but have sex in the back. Salem would have _never_ stood for sexual liaisons in the workplace. Hell, she remembered how Emerald had to make sure their boss was not around before kissing her on the cheek. Frankly, it was surprising Salem even _had_ children, she seemed so... _above_ sexuality.

What a difference in work environment.

 _I hope they spray something once they're done._

* * *

Once Vernal and Weiss were finished with their _fun_ , the former came to relieve Cinder since her shift was over. Now she could go back to her apartment and... maybe see if Nora was free, or watch some videos on her scroll... She really needed to find something else to occupy her time. Perhaps she could text Yang after she was finished her shift. They could talk about... she was not sure actually. It had been quite a long time since she texted someone _just to talk_ \- She definitely needed practice.

After putting her name tag back in her locker, Cinder made her way out the back door. Greeted by the shining sun and a warm breeze, she was instantly reminded why she loved the summertime - even though it was not summer _quite_ yet. She remembered countless days with Emerald spent picnicking, tanning on the beach, bike riding... There were even a few times they went to Vale's big amusement park - Emerald sure loved those thrill rides...

Too bad none of that was possibly anymore... and not just because her soulmate was gone. Tank tops, short shorts, bikinis... none of that stuff really looked good with the burnt pizza that Cinder called a left side.

As Cinder walked across the outer edge of the parking lot, towards the alleyway that led to the sidewalk, she heard a voice call out to her - and unfortunately, she knew exactly who it belonged to.

"Cinder!"

As much as she wanted to just ignore them and keep going, that voice was too close. Hesitantly turning around, Cinder caught a glimpse of two people she honestly hoped she would never have to see again - Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. _Fuck_.

Cinder watched as the pair closed their car doors and approached her. _Why couldn't they just leave her alone_? She wondered to herself, already feeling her heart rate begin to increase. As the two stopped in front of her - Ruby slightly farther back, a... _conflicted_ look on her face - she scowled. "What do you want now?"

"We were just wondering if we could speak with you." Pyrrha answered.

There was no getting out of this. _Fuck_. _Again_. "Fine." Cinder simply responded before turning to head back inside, taking a deep breath as she did.

"Where are you going?" Pyrrha asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

"Inside." Cinder replied as she continued walking. "We're not airing our dirty laundry in public."

"Oh... okay..." Pyrrha mumbled, seemingly following with Ruby close behind.

Reopening the back door of the bar, Cinder stepped back inside, not even bothering to hold the door open for the other two women. Her morning may have been a bit rough due to the lack of sleep, but she was actually having a good afternoon. But now it had been ruined. Ruined by something uncomfortable and infuriating, something she had no desire to confront but unfortunately will not go away due to familial proximity. Pulling out one of the chairs from the lone table and taking her seat, Cinder crossed her arms, continuing to glare at the other two women - mostly Pyrrha - as they sat down across from her.

After a few moments spent in silence, Pyrrha spoke up. "I... I know you likely aren't happy to see me... but it was Ruby who wanted to come talk to you." She informed. "I'm just here to support my wife... so I will be quiet unless my input is needed." Taking Ruby's hand, the redhead smiled at her.

"I appreciate it." Cinder deadpanned, attempting to keep herself calm. She did not want a repeat of the last time Pyrrha visited.

Another few moments passed in silence before Ruby opened her mouth to speak. "I... I'm sorry Cinder."

"What what are you sorry for this time?" Cinder questioned, a scowl on her face. It caused Pyrrha to wince, Ruby to shut her eyes. "Do you want to tell me all about how many friends you lost?"

Ruby did not respond immediately, taking a second to open her eyes back up. "There's nothing I can say that you haven't heard before."

"Then _why are you here_?" Cinder inquired, her eye narrowing.

Ruby shrugged, her mouth forming the beginning of several sentences, before settling in a grimace. "I don't know Cinder, I just... don't feel right, leaving things like I did."

Cinder raised her brow. "What, staring at me for a minute before running out of the building?"

"I panicked." Ruby admitted.

"No shit."

Ruby sighed. "I've never been good with social stuff. People are scary, _you're_ scary, you always were." She continued, unable to meet the older woman's unfriendly gaze.

"I'm surprised you find _me_ scary considering you've met Salem." Cinder observed.

"I don't think _scary_ is the right word for Salem." Ruby huffed, the semblance of a smile passing over her lips. "She like... needs a new word, like anxiety and shame mushed into one thing."

Cinder managed a small smile. "I suppose you're right about that one."

"Have you been talking to her?" Ruby wondered.

"I haven't seen her since the trial." Cinder simply answered.

Ruby scowled, confusion evident. "You haven't talked to her at all?"

"As I _just said_ , not since the trial. I haven't seen _anyone_ since then." Cinder repeated.

Now Ruby just looked lost. "I just... I thought after the defense... I'm sorry, I thought she'd have helped."

"As is turns out." Cinder bit. "No one is interested in helping an accused arsonist who got off scot free."

"I... I'm-" Ruby started.

"Don't you dare apologize again _Rose_." Cinder interrupted, already feeling her anger flaring again.

Ruby flinched, bowing her head, downcast. "I was being selfish." She murmured. "I didn't question it, because it gave me someone to blame. I was angry, it gave me someone to be angry at, because if I could be angry at you I didn't have to be angry at myself for not being able to save anyone... But it didn't matter, you didn't do it, no one knows who did it, so all we have is pain and sadness and I just wanted to try and stop some of it, because you lost more than I did, and no one paid for it."

Cinder narrowed her eye, her anger growing further. "You really think no one paid for that fire? _Look at me_ , I paid for it with my life! My job, my home, my body... my soulmate... I lost _everything_!"

"You didn't deserve this!" Ruby growled, Pyrrha jumped at the exclamation, and even Cinder paused, as Ruby rubbed frantically at her eyes. " _Someone_ out there was just _walking around_ while we were blaming you and it was all _their fault_. It's _them_ that should be in pain, _they_ should have been on trial but they're not, we don't even know who they are. It all got called a stupid fucking _accident_ , they're saying we went through all the pain and suffering for some... damned _gas leak?"_

Cinder had to admit, it was surprising to hear Ruby swear. She had always been very mild mannered. Swearing did not fit her. It softened Cinder's ire just a tad. "Unfortunately it doesn't matter if I deserved it or not. It happened, and we all lost things. I'm just trying to move past it." Cinder sighed. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to calm herself. "I just want a fresh start..."

"Is there any way I can help?" Ruby asked, concern creeping its way into her voice.

Cinder did not respond immediately, as she was not sure what kind of response she would give. All she wanted was to have that fresh start, but unfortunately that could never happen when people like Ruby kept bringing it up. Did she want to just not have to hear about it ever again, or for those people to just leave her alone entirely? She sighed again. "I honestly don't know Ruby. I appreciate your words and all, but they can't exactly change anything."

Ruby slowly nodded. "I know... I just... are you doing... okay? Like, living and stuff?" She asked.

"I'm surviving."

"Alright, good, then..." Ruby took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Thank you, for letting me talk... I know you've never really liked me."

"It was not that I disliked you Ruby, you were just always so... _bubbly_. It was always a bit much for me." Cinder explained. She remembered what the younger woman used to be like in the office. When she was first hired, she was so... quiet. The only person she ever hung around or hell even talked to was this one rabbit Faunus... Velvet if Cinder recalled correctly. Yes, that was her name. The one Pyrrha mentioned... another victim of that damn fire.

Ruby laughed. "That's not as much of a problem anymore."

"I suppose it's not." Cinder observed. "Getting married always seems to... _ground_ people a bit more."

"Well... Yang does call Pyrrha the _ball and chain_." Ruby giggled.

Cinder actually let out a small chuckle. "Yang is quite the interesting woman isn't she."

Ruby's lips curled into a bright smile. "She's the best, always trying to make others happy."

Cinder nodded. "She's certainly made my time her more pleasant."

"What about Raven? And Vernal?" Ruby wondered.

Cinder thought for a moment. "Raven is... hard to read, and Vernal is intimidating."

Ruby blinked. "Wait, _you're_ intimidated by someone?"

Cinder let out a small sigh. "Yes Ruby, I, like everyone else, am able to feel intimidated."

"Wow." Ruby stared at the older woman in awe. "I need to get Vernal a medal."

Cinder rolled her eye. "At least I'm slowly getting used to her."

Ruby chuckled. "She only acts tough, don't worry about her."

"So I've been told."

"You've probably met Weiss by now..." Ruby added.

Cinder nodded. "I have."

"She's also acting tough, just you know... not as good." Ruby explained, her slips curling into a slight grin.

"I can tell." Cinder agreed. "But I have also heard she enjoys doing it, so I suppose that's what matters."

"Yeah, I guess so..." Ruby shrugged. "Well... I guess we should go."

"Very well." Cinder slowly nodded. "Though I am unsure whether I can say it was _nice_ to see you, I can say it was not unpleasant, at least for the most part."

"Um, thank you... It was not unpleasant to see you too..." Ruby replied as she and Pyrrha stood from their chairs. "Will we see you at the party next week?"

Cinder quirked her brow. "Party?"

Ruby nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "Yeah! Weiss' birthday is next week, and Raven is letting her use the bar for the party!"

"I see." Cinder was unaware of this. "I suppose if I'm invited, I will attend." Then she realized something. "But am I required to bring a present?"

"Nah, Weiss'll be happy just to have people there." Ruby answered. "If you do wanna get her something she isn't picky... Weiss hasn't exactly had many good birthdays."

"Well I'm not sure if I could afford anything nice, but I'll see what I can do." Cinder addressed.

"Oh, well don't feel like you _need_ to get her something if you don't have the money for it..." Ruby assured. "Weiss won't care if you get her a gift or not."

Cinder slowly nodded. "Okay."

"Anyways... guess we'll head out." Ruby decided after a moment of silence. "Have a nice day Cinder." She added with a smile.

"You too Ruby." Cinder acknowledged. Ruby turned to leave, Pyrrha offering a small smile and a wave before following her.

As soon as the two were gone, Cinder relaxed her posture, breathing a sigh of relief as she did. _At least this talk didn't go as terribly as the last one_. She thought to herself. It actually ended rather... pleasantly, if she was being honest. Maybe now she would actually be able to be around those two without getting angry. Well, she likely could with Ruby, given how this talk went, but Pyrrha... she may need a bit more time with her.

"Hey Cinder?" Suddenly came Raven's voice, pulling the younger woman from her thoughts.

Cinder turned to her boss's voice, as she stood in the doorway to her office. "Yes?"

"You alright?" Raven wondered.

Cinder blinked. "Am I... alright?"

"I uh, I heard some of your conversation with Ruby." Raven informed. "Specifically the uh, louder parts."

"Oh... I apologize if I disturbed your work..." Cinder mumbled.

"Don't worry about it." Raven assured. "There are always gonna be times where you gotta raise your voice."

"Thank you..."

Raven nodded before turning to head back into her office, then she stopped, turning her head to face the younger woman. "You know, if you ever need to just talk, my door's always open." And with that, she stepped back into her office, closing the door behind her.

Cinders eyes prickled, as she could not resist a genuine smile. She was so grateful to work here.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Would you look at that, a whole day early! And with a full-length chapter!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! And as always, your feedback fuels me! :D


	9. Breaking Point

**Author's Note** : A little late, but it's here!

* * *

Now more than ever, Cinder lamented not perishing in that fire.

Though, it was not like she really had any reason to live anymore anyway. Her life was over. Meaningless... without Emerald...

Up until now Cinder had been confined to a hospital bed, recovering from her injuries and trying to deal with the fact that not only was her soulmate gone, but she was also being blamed for the fire that killed her. For the first few days all she could do was cry, but after that, she just... felt empty. Nothing mattered anyway. She heard about how Emerald's family held a funeral for her, but... she was not allowed to attend. That fire robbed her of _everything_. Her job, her partner, her dignity and respect... worst of all it deprived her of the right to mourn. All Cinder wanted to do was pay her respects to the woman that was supposed to be her wife, but she could not even do that.

So there she was, sitting in a courtroom, staring at the table in front of her, waiting until she was inevitably sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison. All the evidence pointed to her - well, at least the _circumstantial_ evidence. As far as she knew there was no _actual_ evidence. Just... a bunch of things that led people to use her as a scapegoat for something that very well could have been an accident.

Cinder realized she was not even paying attention anymore. Not that it really mattered anyway. Shifting her tired now-one-eyed gaze over to the jury, what she saw did not look good. Nothing but frowns and uncertainty. Or maybe it was doubt. She was not the best at reading faces, especially considering how exhausted she was. Though now that she was looking at them, she realized none of them were even focused on her. Following their eyes, she found they were looking at the woman currently sitting on the bench, and... _oh my gods_...

It was Salem.

Cinder felt her mouth hang open, wondering why her former boss had chosen to show up. She knew Salem considered these types of things a waste of time, and she had never attended any of the prior hearings - or any other legal proceedings the company had dealt with for that matter - so... why now?

"Just so we're all clear Mrs. Ozpin, could you tell the court why you did not attend until today?" Cinder's lawyer - Arthur Watts - asked.

"I had a business to recover." Salem simply answered.

"Yes, recover from a fire that my client is being accused of starting." Arthur clarified. "Now, do you believe Cinder Fall was capable of committing this crime?"

 _Of course I wasn't, but Salem probably won't agree._

"I do not."

 _Wait... what?_

"Can you elaborate?" Arthur requested.

"Cinder is an exceptionally intelligent individual, I suffered her temper as the benefits of her employment far outweighed the headaches she caused. Her career was her life, to think she would openly threaten arson for all to hear, and follow through?" Salem scoffed. "Insulting, is that elaborate enough?"

Arthur nodded. "I believe so, thank you ma'am."

 _Salem... thinks I'm innocent?_

The rest of Arthur's words ceased to register, Cinder watched as her former boss stood, almost floating from the dais, her movement ever graceful. It was the kind of walk that drew a rooms gaze, perfected over years of refinement. Finally, Salem's gaze snapped to Cinder's, her heart clenched painfully at the pity barely visible within. Her ice blue eyes burning deeply.

She awoke with a start, exhaling long and shakily, as the residual emotions ran their course.

* * *

There is a certain point of exhaustion where reality begins to slip from your fingers.

You cease to perceive the world in the first person, your eyes become lenses, trickling reality through an uncanny filter. Sounds play through old speakers, off by decibels and unclear to the ear. Colours become concepts, objects become theories, memories become splatters upon the canvas of life, intermixing with reality, like oil and water. Contrasting bubbles floating through shimmering blur.

She stood in an amalgamation, marble and wood woven together like fine artwork, the glass in her hand spiraling into a scepter of pure light, the prismatic reflections mesmerizing. Blue and lilac and red, and green... green... gentle as mint, flickering from the edge of her vision. She felt a surge of warmth as she turned, beholding a goddess, her idol, soft brown skin, mountains of beautiful green hair, eyes gleaming crimson, burning deep into her vision.

She felt a dumb grin spread across her face, her cheeks alight, her heart bursting in her chest, love and joy spreading outward, searing her veins.

"Emmy... baby." Her voice echoed across reality, waves rippling through existence, her lover static in her visage.

"Uh, Cinder, you okay?" The goddess spoke, brow furrowing in concern. Cinder giggled, a gentle coolness settling over her, the scepter flitted from her grasp, and the gentle ringing of ethereal chimes pierced the air.

"Of course I am." Cinder sighed in content. "I have you..." Reality faded, existence narrowing to a single point, gentle brown, red and green...

* * *

"Cinde-Cinder fuck!" Yang yelped, as Cinder suddenly limply fell backwards, failing utterly to stop her descent, as she hit the ground with a thump. "Fucking shit, fuck, mom!" She yelled as she hurried around the bar.

The back door was abruptly thrown open as Raven practically ran out to join Yang at Cinder's side. Moving the younger woman onto her back, she leaned down until her ear was just over her mouth. Thankfully she let out a sigh of relief before straightening back up. "She's breathing, I think she just fell asleep."

Yang let out her own sigh of relief. "I knew she was tired... but shit, I never expected her to collapse like that."

"Must've been worse than we thought." Raven guessed, touching two fingers to the unconscious woman's neck to feel her pulse.

"You're telling me." Yang mumbled. "She called me 'Emmy'... and 'baby'." To which her mother quirked a brow. "It was uh, her ex-partner's name. She died in the fire." Raven gave no response, simply looking back down to Cinder's sleeping form, a concerned look on her face. Following her gaze, Yang realized how... _at peace_ Cinder seemed. All the stress that normally plagued her features was gone. She looked so... _tranquil_. "So what are we gonna do with her? Should we take her to the hospital?"

After a moment Raven shook her head. "I'm gonna take her upstairs for now, let her get some rest on my couch. If anything happens I'll come get you."

Yang nodded. "Alright."

Sliding her hands under Cinder's legs and back, Raven lifted her up into a bridal carry. It almost made Yang crack a smile. Her mother carrying anyone like that was an amusing thought.

"You gonna be alright until Qrow gets here?" Raven wondered.

"Of course I will mom." Yang smiled.

Raven let out a small chuckle. "I know."

* * *

Cinder awoke to the sound of a television playing - Which was odd... considering she had not owned a television for quite some time. She was not at Nora's... was she? Whatever she was lying on did not feel like the redhead's bed... and it was still fairly comfortable... Meaning it was _definitely_ not her own bed. The last thing she remembered was... going to work... so... where was she?

Using one of her hands to wipe the sleep from her eyes, Cinder observed her surroundings, and a pang of fear suddenly shot through her. _This was not her apartment_. Shooting up from what she now realized was a couch, she frantically searched the room around her to attempt to find some familiarity, _anything_ she could recognize. Thankfully there was something - actually some _one_ \- sitting in the armchair next to the couch.

"R-Raven...?" Cinder mumbled.

Perking up from her laid-back position, Raven turned her head to face the younger woman. "Oh, hey, you're awake."

"Where... am I?"

"My apartment." Raven informed.

Cinder breathed a sigh of relief, before she actually realized what her boss said. "We're... in your apartment?" To which Raven nodded. Gazing around the room, she realized something. For an apartment that existed above a bar, it was fairly nice - at least nicer than her own apartment. Though to be fair, every apartment she could think of was far nicer than hers.

Oddly enough, the apartment's appearance was not too dissimilar from the bar below, but with lighter wood flooring and dimmer lighting. Cinder was unable to see out any of the windows, but she imagined the view was not exactly impressive considering the area. While not cluttered there was an appropriate amount of furnishings, though not adhering to any specific aesthetic. She also noticed how there were a _lot_ of things scattered around the room - takeout containers, beer cans, magazines, DVDs...

 _Wow this place was messy._

It had been a long time since Cinder had seen a room this- Wait... Was that a porn DVD? No... Not out in the open like that...

"So how are you feeling?" Raven wondered, pulling Cinder from her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm alright." Cinder responded. Then a thought occurred. "What... happened?"

"Well as far as I saw, you came into work looking like death, then collapsed soon after." Raven explained. "Thankfully you were just asleep, so I brought you up here to get some rest."

"I... collapsed?" No... that could not be right... Cinder knew she had not been sleeping well recently, but it was not _that_ bad... right?

Raven nodded. "Yang said you've been having trouble getting rest. Normally none of my business but it's not every day my workers collapse on themselves."

"I... I'm sorry." Cinder mumbled, clenching one of her hands. _Stupid fucking nightmares_. "I can just take an energy drink and I'll be fine."

"I think you should take the rest of the day off." Raven suggested.

"But I can still work-"

"And what happens if you fall asleep again?" Raven questioned.

"I wo-"

" _Cinder_." Raven sternly interrupted, causing the younger woman to flinch. "I'm not gonna let you work on an empty tank, you need sleep, _proper_ sleep. I'm taking you home."

Cinder's gaze fell. She hated being useless. "Very well..." As she slowly lifted herself fully to a sitting position, she stopped, suddenly aware of a small pressure beneath her. Was she sitting on something? Reaching between the couch cushions, she pulled out something that caused her cheeks to heat up - a pair of lacy black underwear.

Raven suddenly cleared her throat. "Sorry, that was uh, failed date... _my_ failed date, those are mine, not someone else's... just ah... I'll take those." Reaching over from the armchair, she snatched them from Cinder before stuffing them in her pocket.

Seeing her boss' panties was _not_ something Cinder expected to see today.

After a brief awkward silence, Raven spoke up again.

"Well uh, alright. Let's go."

* * *

Cinder did not realize just how exhausted she still was until she tried to stand up. If it were not for Raven, she would have fallen flat on her face.

 _Stupid fucking body._

She was not even able to make it down to her boss' car on her own - Raven had to practically carry her. Once the two were inside the vehicle, Cinder immediately noticed how... _comfortable_ it was. The black leather seats were soft... soft enough that she felt like she could fall asleep on the one she was sitting in - which at this point was a very likely possibility.

After telling Raven where she lived, the drive was spent in silence, and all Cinder could think about was how useless she was. Ever since Yang noticed her fatigue, it had slowly been getting worse, with her productivity decreasing by the day. Today she passed out not even an hour into the day. Pathetic. If this kept up, Raven might as well fire her right now. It was not as if Cinder was truly _needed_ at the bar, they were likely doing just fine before hiring her. Especially now considering her growing level of incompetence.

The thought of buying speed was _really_ starting to grow more appealing. It was not like she had any better options - at least ones she could actually afford. Besides, if she had a proper amount of energy, she could actually function properly throughout the day, and no one would have to deal with her stupid tired bullshit - Especially Nora. The girl had done more for Cinder than she could ever repay... and she deserved so much more than just being a simple prostitute... a better job, a better home... a better _life_. One where she did not have to practically take care of a useless widow.

Maybe she should have just ended it. Would have saved everyone a lot of trouble.

 _No, stop it_. Cinder told herself. _You finally have a job, you can't just throw that away. At least not until you get fired. If that happens... then that's another story. Just focus on keeping yourself employed for now._

Perhaps after getting some rest - if she was actually able to - Cinder would take a look around the area, see if there was someone she could procure some speed from. There had to be at least a few drug dealers around the neighbourhood. Hell, there was likely one living in her building. The only challenge was in finding them, as it had been over fifteen years since she sought out a dealer for... well, anything really. But that was a problem for post-nap Cinder... or at least near-future Cinder. For now all she could really do was sit around and be useless until she had the energy to actually function properly.

"This it?" Raven suddenly asked, pulling the younger woman from her thoughts.

Looking out the car window, Cinder saw they were in front of her shitty apartment - not even realizing they had arrived. "Yes..." She mumbled as she unbuckled her seat belt. "Thank you... and I'm sorry you had to go through this trouble just for me..."

"I would do this for any of my employees Cinder." Raven assured. "When I told you we're a family, I meant it. Now come on, I'll walk you to your apartment."

"You don't have to do that-" Cinder attempted to protest.

"Well too bad." Raven interrupted, unbuckling her own seat belt. "I don't want there to be any chance of you hurting yourself on your way there."

 _Might as well accept defeat now, you know she won't back down_. "Very well..." Cinder murmured, reaching for the handle to open the door.

In truth, Cinder probably could have made it up to her apartment on her own - emphasis on _probably_ \- but she was glad there was someone there to help her. Once again, Raven had to practically carry her as the pair entered the decrepit building. Cinder told her boss where her apartment was located and they ascended the stairs. As the two walked down the hallway, she heard a familiar voice from behind them.

"Cindy!"

 _Fuck._

And they were almost at her apartment too.

Not that Cinder did not _want_ to see Nora of course. It was just... she did not want the redhead having to take care of her while in her current state - She had already done so much already. It almost felt like she was using her sometimes, as much as Nora tried to assure her otherwise.

Turning towards the direction of the voice, they were met with Nora's cheerful smile as she practically skipped down the hallway towards them. Cinder silently thanked the Maidens her friend was wearing something appropriate.

"Friend of yours?" Raven wondered, to which Cinder nodded as the redhead stopped in front of the pair.

"I thought you were working today!" Nora exclaimed. "What are you doing home?"

"I uh... passed out." Cinder hesitantly answered.

"What?!" Nora gasped. "What happened?! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine Nora." Cinder assured. "I was just... really tired is all."

"Was it the nightmares again?" Nora asked, a concerned look on her face.

Cinder slowly nodded. "Yeah..."

"So this is the Nora you mentioned before." Raven suddenly spoke up, causing Cinder to remember there was a still a strong arm snaked around her waist.

"That's me!" Nora beamed, shifting her gaze to the older woman - where her smile morphed into a grin. "Well _hello_ there, you gonna introduce me to your friend Cindy?"

Cinder could not help but smile. Nora sounded just like she did when they first met... when she tried to _pick her up_. "Of course. Nora, this is my boss Raven."

"Wait, _this_ is Raven?" Nora blurted, to which Cinder gave a small nod. "Damn, hot was an understatement! This gal's a stone-cold _fox!"_

Raven scoffed. "I haven't been a fox since _high school_ , so you're either blind, or pregaming."

"Are you kidding? You're like, _step on me_ hot!" Nora continued, causing the older woman to raise a brow. "I mean, I'm not a masochist... Just trying to prove a point! Come on back me up Cindy!"

Suddenly all eyes were on Cinder. "Um..."

"Yeah _Cindy_." Raven leered. "Tell us all about how you want me to step on you."

Cinder could feel her cheeks beginning to heat up. "I... um..."

Raven chuckled. "I'm kidding. Now come on, which one of these is your place?"

"It's... just a bit further down the hall... 207." Cinder answered.

"Alright, well, it was nice meeting you Nora." Raven smiled before she turned to guide Cinder down the hallway.

"You want me to look after her?" Nora offered. "I don't really have anything to do today."

"Nora... I couldn't ask you to do that..." Cinder began.

"It's no problem!" Nora assured with a smile. "I love taking care of people!"

"You sure?" Raven asked, to which the redhead quickly nodded. "Well thanks, means I wouldn't have to ditch her to go back to work later." She turned her gaze to Cinder. "Make sure to text me later, so I can know whether or not to expect you at work tomorrow."

Cinder slowly nodded. "I will."

"Then it's settled!" Nora beamed, reaching over to snake her arm around Cinder's waist, relieving Raven of the weight. "Let's go get you into your pajamas!" She continued before practically dragging Cinder down the hallway.

Once the pair entered the Cinder's apartment, it was no shock that Nora insisted on undressing and redressing the older woman - even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself - but surprisingly the redhead did not make it as sexy as she imagined. She just... helped her out of her work clothes and into her pajamas. Well, they were not _really_ pajamas, just a pair of grey sweat pants and an old crimson tank top. How fancy.

After Cinder had her pajamas on, Nora guided her into bed, making sure to tuck her in once she was under the covers. It almost made her feel... disappointed in herself. Nora had taken care of her more times than she could count, while she on the other hand had barely given her anything in return. Hell even the sex was more for Cinder than it was for the redhead, considering how long she spent between the older woman's legs without even wanting the favour returned.

Once Cinder was all tucked in, Nora offered a vibrant smile as she sat down on the bed. "Comfy?"

Cinder smiled back. "Yes Nora, thank you."

"You need anything?" Nora wondered. "A glass of water, a snack..." Then she smirked. "Maybe a _massage_? Or an _erotic bedtime story?"_

Cinder could not help but chuckle. "Why would a bedtime story be _erotic?"_

"Because all the best ones are!" Nora defended. Cinder highly doubted that. "But in all seriousness, do you need anything?"

Cinder thought for a moment. Aside from sleep, was there anything she actually needed? Then her smile suddenly faded. There was something, but... she could not ask for it. Nora had done a lot for her, but asking her to get drugs - to get _speed_ \- for her was something else entirely. No, she had to do it herself.

"You okay? Nora asked, pulling the older woman from her thoughts.

"Oh, yes." Cinder lied. She was not about to tell her friend she was just contemplating asking her for drugs.

Nora knit her eyebrows. "You sure?"

 _She knows_. Cinder just simply nodded as she plastered on a smile. Unfortunately her attempt at fooling the redhead was unsuccessful.

"Cinder, I know when you're hiding something." Nora chastised.

 _Shit._

"I..." Cinder began, but was unable to continue, feeling a lump in her throat. She could not burden her friend with _another_ one of her problems. The Maidens knew she had done that too much already. Then she felt a hand gently grasp her own.

"Cindy, you know you can tell me anything." Nora assured with a smile, giving Cinder's hand an encouraging squeeze.

There was no getting away from this. If Cinder did not tell her friend now, she was just going to poke and prod until she did. After all, it was how she ended up telling her about Emerald. Then after that it was a lot of crying and makeshift therapy sessions. So... maybe this _could_ help...

"I need... help." Cinder admitted.

"With what?"

Cinder took a deep breath. Asking for help was always difficult, even though she knew for a fact that Nora would be happy to help her with anything. She should really work on putting more faith in people again. "Getting... speed."

Suddenly Nora's smile vanished. Without responding, she climbed onto the bed, moving to straddle the older woman and looking her straight in the eyes. "Please... don't ever turn to those drugs..." She pleaded. "I've seen too many people get hooked on it..."

"Nora, I promise I won't let it get that bad. I just need something that can actually keep me awake." Cinder tried to assure - Sadly it failed.

"You're always tired because your diet is crap and you don't exercise!" Nora accused. Then she took a breath. "Can I tell you a story?" To which Cinder nodded. "A little while ago, a few months before you moved here actually, I had a... _reoccurring_ client. At first it was all fun, she needed a stress reliever so I provided it." Then she let out a small chuckle. "And plus I got paid so that was nice. Anyways, over time she started to spiral out of control, and eventually I was just... _property_ to her. She even tried to get me hooked, to make sure I stayed." The redhead took a shaky breath. "I thought I knew her, hell maybe I even loved her a little, but speed changed who she was, and it _scared_ me... Cinder, you're _finally_ getting your life on track, I can't let you ruin that for yourself."

Cinder opened her mouth several times to respond, but no response came... and unfortunately her friend was not finished.

"Please... don't do this to yourself..." Nora begged, tears beginning well in her eyes. Leaning down, she laid her head on the older woman's chest. "I can't... I can't lose you Cindy..."

Now Cinder's mouth just hung open, truly at a loss for words. "I'm just... so tired... I don't know what else to do..." She managed.

"Just... anything but that." Nora implored.

Cinder lifted her friend off her chest. "Then what am I supposed to do?" She questioned. "I can't sleep, I can't stay awake, I need help from _something."_

Sitting up completely, Nora brought a hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought. "What about pot?"

"What about it?"

"I know a guy." Nora answered. "He grows his own, says a lot of people use it for medical purposes, to treat depression and chronic pain, and _insomnia!"_

Cinder blinked. "Are you... offering to get me pot?"

"Duh!"

Once again, Nora proved just how far she was willing to go for Cinder. "That's... very generous... but I couldn't ask you to do something that big for me."

"Oh Cindy." Nora laughed, lovingly cupping Cinders cheek. "You're not askin', I'm givin'."

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "That sounds familiar."

"Don't you _know it_." Nora giggled, leaning down to peck Cinder on the nose. "I'm gonna keep your life on the straight and narrow and there's _nothin'_ you can do to stop me."

"Says the woman who wants to buy me pot." Cinder observed.

"Well we're also in a homoerotic relationship so I guess _straight_ isn't the _most_ accurate word." The redhead noted.

Cinder laughed. "I suppose it's not."

"But don't worry, we're not gonna be potheads or anything." Nora assured. "It'll just be for when the going gets tough, and you can't get to sleep, I'll be here with you every time."

The older woman smiled. "Thank you Nora... truly, I don't think I'd be here without you."

"Naaw, you'd be fine." Nora waved her off. "If it wasn't me, it'd be someone else. Karma comes around Cindy, I'm just your payout."

"Oh yes, I would have just met the _other_ friendly prostitute living in the building." Cinder chuckled, rolling her eye.

"Or bumbled into a bar to be saved by some hot milf." Nora added with a smirk.

"Oh wouldn't that be nice-" Cinder started before she realized what her friend meant. "Hey that's my boss you're talking about!" She exclaimed, lightly slapping the redhead's arm.

"But she's _so hot!"_

Cinder sighed. "I realize that, but I can't just go around calling her a _milf."_

"Aha! So you admit it!" Nora burst.

Cinder blinked, her words only now registering.

"Oh hush you."

* * *

Yang could not recall the last time she actually _witnessed_ someone pass out at work... or the last time someone called her the name of their dead partner... What a morning that was. At least the rest of the day was normal... enough.

Typically pairs worked the bar, but today it was just Yang, all by her lonesome. It was incredibly boring. No Cinder to prod, no Vernal to trade barbs with, or even Qrow to rib on. Just the regulars coming in for their poison, and retiring to the tables to stare at their scrolls. It certainly did not make the day go by any faster.

Thankfully Roman decided to drop by for a visit later in the afternoon - His visits were always a fun treat. Though unfortunately he was not able to stay for quite as long as Yang had hoped, since he had a date - which was just as surprising to him as it was to her. So once he was gone, it was back to finding ways to entertain herself... which was fairly unsuccessful. Normally when behind the bar, Yang would be able to check her scroll when she had nothing to do, but since she was alone that was not possible - or at least not a good idea. _Wouldn't wanna get in trouble with the boss._

But eventually the workday came to a close as Qrow coming to relieve her - a little late but nothing she did not expect. Bidding him farewell, Yang decided to pay her mom a visit. Firmly knocking on the office door, she was called in.

"Hey mom, how'd it go with Cinder?" Yang asked as she stepped into the office, closing the door behind her.

"As well as you'd imagine." Raven simply answered, looking up from her computer screen. "She slept on my couch for a couple hours, woke up, we chatted, she found my underwear, I took her home-"

"Woah, woah _what? Underwear_?" Yang interrupted.

"Oh, yeah. Remember that date I went on a little while ago?" Raven inquired, to which her daughter nodded. "Turns out my panties from that night got lodged between the couch cushions."

Yang rolled her eyes. " _Lovely."_

Raven shrugged. "Well at least I found 'em."

"So... how was Cinder when you left?" Yang wondered after a few moments of silence.

"Dead on her feet, but standing. Got to meet her..." Raven's brow furrowed. "Friend? Nora, when I dropped her off though."

"Oh was she the one Cinder mentioned to me the other day?" Yang wondered, to which her mother shrugged again. "What was she like?"

"Very... _bubbly_." Raven informed. "She also called me a _stone-cold fox_ , so that was... interesting."

"I mean she's not lying." Yang added. "Where do you think I got this body from?" She made sure to strike an exaggerated pose for emphasis.

"Your father?" Raven guessed.

"Nah, that's where I got my million dollar smile." Yang beamed widely, batting her eyes for good measure.

Raven huffed. "Well duh, there's no way in hell way you got that from me."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah you've got the evil mistress vibe about you, all _salacious_ grins and stuff."

Raven quirked a brow. " _Evil mistress_ huh? Never thought I'd be called _that_ by my own daughter."

"Well you _are_ a hardass."

" _Hardass_ and _mistress_ are pretty different Yang." Raven countered.

"Depends on the smut really." Yang smirked. She remembered the first time Blake told her about the _wonder_ that was smut. It was some erotic fanfiction where some woman ate her boss out from under her desk. _Oh man what a night that was_. Though she was fairly sure someone heard her, as breakfast the next morning was _pretty_ awkward. At least they were considerate enough not to say anything about it.

"I've never read smut." Raven near-deadpanned.

"Get with the times mom, you don't have to pay people for fantasies anymore." Yang informed with a grin.

"Of course not, I've got toys for that." Raven smirked.

Yang wished she did not just hear that. "Well thanks for _that_ image mom."

Raven let out a small chuckle. "Happy Solstice, or birthday, whatever I forgot last..."

"You haven't forgotten my birthday since I was seven." Yang mentioned.

"Really?" Raven asked, to which her daughter genuinely nodded with a smile. "I'm not drinking enough then."

Yang rolled her eyes. "What an ironic statement for someone who not only runs a bar but lives above it."

"Cannibalizing my own stock is bad for business." Raven explained. "If I have to walk to get my fix I'm less likely to relapse."

"Good point." Yang acknowledged. Then a thought came to mind. "You said you took Cinder home right?"

" _Home_ is a generous label, it's a fucking slum." Raven grimaced.

"So you see what I mean now? It's horrible isn't it?" Yang questioned. She hated the fact that Cinder lived in a place like that.

Raven sighed. "It's like you cross a line in this city and everything gives up and starts falling apart, and Cinder _walks_ here every shift?"

Yang nodded. "That's right." She wished she could say no.

"No wonder she sleeps like shit. Fuck _I_ sleep like shit and I only have to walk downstairs to work." Raven described.

"I really wanna do something for her, but I mean, what _can_ we do?" Yang wondered.

"Unfortunately unless she actually _asks_ us for help, I don't think we can really do much." Raven answered with a frown.

Yang's gaze fell. She was afraid her mother would say that. Then an idea came. "What about offering one of our places for her to stay?"

Raven raised a brow. "Wouldn't that be weird?"

"I mean a bit, but I can't let her just _stay_ in a place like that. She told me she got _mugged_ outside that apartment!" Yang exclaimed.

"Fucking _what_?" Raven balked.

"She was _mugged_ mom." Yang repeated. "Near her _home_."

Raven reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Then what do you think we should do?"

Yang leaned against the doorway. "What _can_ we do?" She groused. "Like, we can ask if she's doing well and we _know_ that's bullshit. She's got Nora, but if she can't help her we have to tread light, we've only known her for a little while."

Raven did not respond immediately, instead just slumping further onto her desk. Until she perked up. Maybe she thought of something. "What if I called Glynda?"

Yang blinked. "What?"

"You said you wanted to help, I think Glynda's the perfect person to give Cinder that help." Raven explained.

"But aren't her sessions expensive?" Yang asked, knowing a bit about the therapist's prices - She once considered going to see her about... a certain feline Faunus she used to know. "You know Cinder wouldn't be able to afford them." Her mother offered a small grin in response.

"I think she still owes me a favour."

* * *

After finishing her talk with Raven, it was finally time for Yang to head home. Normally she would not actually be _happy_ to leave work, she quite enjoyed her job, plus most of her nights were just spent in her underwear watching cartoons, but it was _that time of the week_ again - her day with Neo - and she was excited. Unfortunately since Yang did not have the day off, so she would not have as much time with her, but she had the late shift tomorrow, so maybe they would spend the night at Neo's... They could wake up after a night of lovemaking, have breakfast together... _Yeah, wouldn't that be nice._

Pulling into her designated parking space, Yang switched off Bumblebee before heading into the apartment building. First thing was first - preparation. She knew Neo would text her... at some point, so she had to ensure that she was ready before then. So after entering her apartment and putting her helmet away, she hopped in the shower - even though she took one prior to going to work. While Yang was in there, she made sure to triple check that everything was clean-shaven, since she did the actual shaving during her morning shower. _Better safe than sorry._

Once Yang was out of the shower and dry, it was onto choosing an outfit - because there was no way she was wearing what she wore to work. The last time she did that Neo sent her home to change. Heading into her room, she rummaged through her closet and dresser to see if she could find something acceptable. Maybe she would wear something nice today, see if she could convince Neo they should go out. After a bit more searching, Yang was able to locate a satisfactory outfit - a dark purple off-shoulder blouse coupled with a pair of black jeans. But before that she needed a different pair of underwear - as tan was not going to cut it. Ruffling through her underwear drawer, she picked out something a little fancier - a strapless bra and a pair of tanga panties, both black, both lacy. If she was going to do this, she was going to go all the way.

The next and final step was found in the bathroom. Stepping into the small lavatory, she admired herself in the mirror. It was funny, when she went to Neo's the previous week, she thought of herself as _hot_ , while today... _pretty_ was a better descriptor, and she liked it. After thoroughly brushing her teeth - _wouldn't want there being any chance of having bad breath_ \- it was onto the makeup. Yang knew she would go with her usual purple eye shadow, but she also wanted something... _extra_ , to really sell the look she was going for. Maybe she should paint her nails... No... probably not a good idea. There was no telling when Neo would text her, so she decided not to risk it. But then what could she do? There was not exactly a _ton_ of makeup to choose from, as she was not one who normally indulged in that sort of thing. Even as Ruby's maid of honour, all Yang wore was lipstick, eye shadow, and some blush. It made her smile - Ruby and Pyrrha really put together a beautiful wedding. Even though it was originally planned for the fall, spring worked just as well.

 _Wait a second_. Looking through her makeup drawer, Yang pulled out her only container of blush - she hardly ever used the stuff, so there was no point in keeping more - and a brush. Popping the container open, she dipped the brush in the powder before gently applying it to her cheeks. Once she was done, she checked herself out in the mirror.

"Lookin' good!" Yang told her reflection before exiting the bathroom. She could just imagine it saying _right back at ya!_

Unfortunately when the blonde checked her phone, there was no text waiting for her like she expected... Weird. Neo knew she worked today... and that woman _always_ texted her by the time she got home, so... what made this time different? _Guess all I can do is wait._

Unfortunately after over half an hour of waiting - with Yang just playing around on her scroll - no text ever came. Maybe she should just text Neo, perhaps she just... forgot.

 **Yang** : _Hey babe, just making sure we're still on for tonight, can't wait to see you ;)_

Twenty minutes, and nothing, so Yang tried again.

 **Yang** : _We are still on for tonight, right?_

Another half an hour passed... and still nothing. Now Yang was beginning to grow concerned.

 **Yang** : _Neo?_

Once again, no response. It worried Yang. She was used to Neo being sporadic, and they rarely texted outside of their usual time each week, but until now Neo had never missed a text. If the blonde ever texted her, she would text back - If only to inform her not to disturb her. Neo was a creature of meticulous habit. So... why was she not responding? Yang went over the possibilities in her head - family visit, unplanned trip, stuck in traffic, shopping, flat or broken phone... but she knew Neo would not let any of that get in the way of her schedule. Which meant it had to be something out of her control. Perhaps she was just sick, or had an accident, or... maybe it was something malicious. She knew that woman could handle herself - considering how easily she dominated Yang on a regular basis - but that did not change the fact that she was still a small mute girl, _prime victim material._

Now Yang was scared, her mind filling to the brim with terrible scenarios. What if Neo had gotten into a car crash? Or she was at the hospital? Or someone invaded her home? What if she was... The blonde suddenly felt her blood run cold. Nope. No no no no no no _no!_

 _Fuck it._

Yang was not going to sit around and just dream up worst-case scenarios anymore. She was going to check on Neo. Nearly jumping up off the couch, she threw on her shoes and grabbed her motorcycle helmet before heading out. Thankfully there was barely any traffic, so it was a fairly short ride, but unfortunately over the course of that ride, her mind was filled with ideas of what could have happened, and none of them were good. _Don't think, just drive._

Once Yang arrived at Neo's apartment, she switched off Bumblebee and practically ran into the building. Well, maybe that was an overstatement. She _quickly walked_ into the building. Ascending the stairs and approaching Neo's door, she stopped. _She will be okay_. The blonde told herself, before gently knocking on the door. A couple minutes passed with no answer, so she knocked a little harder. Still no answer.

"Neo?" Yang called out, hoping she would receive _some_ kind of response.

Surprisingly enough the door swung open, revealing Neo in nothing but a pink bathrobe. _Thank the Maidens_. Yang breathed a sigh of relief, yet she still clenched her hands together. As much as she wanted to reach out to hug her, she knew that was not a good idea. Instead Yang opened her mouth to express her relief, but then she saw the look on the shorter woman's face - She was... angry. Not upset, not troubled, but _angry_. Yang felt the sudden need to explain herself. Like when her teachers used to scold her for skipping class, except Neo had not even said a word.

"I uh... You never texted me... so I tried texting you a few times, but you never answered..." Yang explained, finding it difficult to meet the other woman's eyes. "I was just really worried... I thought something might've happened to you..."

Neo simply took a step forward, placing a hand in the center of the blonde's chest before pushing her backwards. Yang almost stumbled, not expecting the contact. Once she regained her balance, Neo pointed down the hallway, back where she came from...

"Oh... I'm sorry, it's just today is usually our day, so I thought..." Yang began, before her gaze drifted off of Neo and into her apartment, where what she saw made her heart sink. There was... a guy... a _naked_ guy... on the living area couch... and he was _very much_ erect. Yang felt her mouth drop open. _This... this wasn't real... It couldn't be. Neo might be a bit cold sometimes, but she would never cheat on her... She wouldn't..._

Yang felt a sting behind her eyes as she turned back to Neo. " _Did... did I do something wrong_?" Was all she could manage. Neo's brow furrowed in confusion, before rolling her eyes, stepping back, and closing the door in her face.

Yang's body felt... heavy, as she left the building. She hardly registered the stairs. Nor the cold air on her exposed skin. Or the thrum of bumblebee below her. She entered her apartment feeling little more than fatigue. A pulsing numbness blocking all sensation, but for a single buzz in her jean pocket. Pulling out her scroll, Yang read the text twice.

 **Neo** : _If you were expecting something more, you should have said so after the first night._

Yang let the device slip from her finger, as she collapsed on the couch, and sobbed herself to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hope you enjoyed this longer-than-usual chapter! Let me know your thoughts!

And as always, your feedback fuels me!


	10. Help

**Author's Note** : Happy New Year!

* * *

Cinder hated getting called into the boss' office.

Sure, she was not nearly as terrified as the last time she was in Raven's office, but that did not mean she was not scared. As the pair entered, Cinder could already feel her heartbeat increasing. All her life whenever anyone had asked her _Can we talk_ , it has never ended well for her. After all, one could argue those words were what started all of this. Cinder sighed. She spent enough time focusing on the past, rather than what was right in front of her - which was currently her boss.

Taking a seat behind her desk, Raven gestured for Cinder to sit. After choosing one of wooden chairs in front of the desk, the room was silent for several minutes, which only served to make Cinder more nervous.. Finally, Raven took a deep breath, almost making her flinch.

"So, the reason I called you in here..." Raven started, before trailing off and sighing. "Alright, this isn't gonna work. You mind if I come around?"

Cinder blinked. "Oh, s-sure..." She hesitantly responded, to which her boss nodded, raising from her chair and walking around her desk before taking the other seat. Seeing how close Raven now was made Cinder instantly regret her response - She looked a lot more muscular up close. It made her extremely grateful that she chose to sit in the left chair - ensuring Raven did not have to look at her injured side.

"Anyways, so to be clear, this isn't work talk, well, not really." Raven explained. "I mean, I'm still your boss, I'm just not... speaking as your boss..." She huffed. "Point is, you're not in trouble or anything." That relieved Cinder. But at the same time, if she was not in trouble, why did Raven want to talk with her? "Yang told me how she spoke with you about the fire."

Cinder timidly nodded. _So that's what it was._

"So I thought it might be a good idea to talk to you about it myself." Raven continued. Cinder had a feeling she knew where this was going. "I knew about the situation, before you told me over the phone. It was hard not to, shitty accident, with my daughter-in-law involved... though I'm more an aunt than anything to her." She sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want to give the impression I hired out of pity or anything, you got hired on your own merit."

"It's... It's okay..." Cinder mumbled. She was thankful that Yang talked to her earlier, it got at least some of the surprise out of the- Wait a second. "You... think it was an accident?"

"Either that or someone else set it." Raven guessed. "I'll be honest, I thought it was you when the first details came out. If you'd come after a job then I'd have laid you out for putting Ruby in danger." Then she saw the strained look on the younger woman's face. " _But_ , then I saw you in court, and I've seen some shit Cinder, people can be real scum, but you didn't have the look about you, you just looked lost, tired and hurt, you didn't come off as guilty, and the verdict agreed with me. Now I won't pry, it's none of my business, but after that trial was over only a moron could think you were _actually_ guilty."

So much for no surprises. Sure, Raven apologizing was surprising on its own, but the fact that she changed her mind so drastically - all from just seeing her in court - left Cinder speechless. She opened her mouth a few times to respond, but nothing came out. Her boss just patiently waited. After a solid minute of silence, she was finally able to manage a response. "Thank you..."

"Just to be clear, you're not gonna be treated any differently here." Raven added. "Everyone here's got shit in their past."

Cinder slowly nodded. "Right..."

"And look, I get what it feels like to have your past catch up with you." Raven continued. "It sucks. You think you can get away from them, have a fresh start... but you never can. The past always catches up sooner or later."

Cinder blinked. "Get away from... _them?"_

Raven sighed. "Don't worry about it. That's a story for another day."

Cinder just timidly nodded. She had a feeling she should not have asked about that. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to flinch.

"Just remember, dysfunctional as we are, we're family here, we have your back."

* * *

Once Cinder returned from the break room - or Raven's office as she specified - it was back to work as normal. Vernal stayed behind the counter while Yang and Cinder continued to handle the waitressing. It was not exactly quiet, but it was not busy either - which was nice, as it gave the blonde a chance to keep an eye on Cinder while she worked. She seemed to be doing well - thankfully Pyrrha had departed by the time she came back - but Yang made sure to at least check up on her every once in a while.

As Yang approached the bar to give Vernal a new order, the other woman held up her hand, beckoning her closer. Raising a brow, she leaned across the counter.

"What's up?"

"Just a heads up, chick in the corner's been staring at you for like ten minutes." Vernal informed.

Yang blinked. Someone was staring at her? Slowly tilting her head to the side, she peeked over at the specified booth, and her jaw nearly dropped. It was... _Neo_. What was she doing here? Whenever she visited, she would always send a sort of warning beforehand, along with her drink order... which she always wanted ready by the time she arrived. Yang watched as a smirk found its way onto Neo's face before using a single finger to signal her over. She could not help but smile back before turning back to Vernal. "Well, it looks like _booty calls_." She joked.

Vernal just rolled her eyes. "You wanna give me those orders first?"

"Oh yeah, two Atlesian Ambers." Yang answered, to which Vernal simply nodded before getting to work. "I'll be right back." Making her way over to the corner booth, she watched as Neo's smirk grew as she approached. Yang opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly pulled down by the collar, lips meeting her own in an expectedly aggressive kiss. The only kisses she could ever recall getting from Neo were aggressive, forceful, _hungry_... anything but soft really. Then she felt a tongue snake its way into her mouth, and it tasted... not of mint... which was odd... Neo _always_ brushed her teeth before going out. So what made this occasion different? She must have eaten before she came. Whatever that taste was, it was familiar... yet alien, like something she had not had in a long time... But what was it? It was on the tip of her tongue... quite literally. Before she was able to figure it out, Neo suddenly released her. Yang almost wobbled as she stood back up.

It was funny, kissing Neo was not a very common occurrence, but when she did... that woman was damn good at it. As she sat back down, Yang straightened herself out. "You gonna have your usual?" She asked, to which Neo simply nodded. "One strawberry Margarita coming right up."

Making her way back to the counter, Yang informed Vernal of Neo's order before she was given the two Atlesian Ambers from the previous one. She was sure to bring those customers their drinks as quickly as she could, as she knew Neo hated waiting. Once that was done, she collected the Margarita from the counter and brought it to the corner booth.

"One strawberry Margarita for one lovely lady." Yang smiled as she placed the drink onto the table. Rather than simply grin back like she expected, Neo raised her arm, beckoning the blonde closer with her finger. She raised a brow. Was she in store for another kiss? Probably not, but might as well humour her. Yang leaned down towards Neo, and what she received was in fact not a kiss, but something far more... surprising. She huffed at the new pressure on her left breast, leveling a resigned grin down at the smirking mute before her, hand brazenly groping her asset. "Babe, please." She sighed, it was not that she did not like Neo touching her. "I'm working."

Neo merely tilted her head, batting her eyes as her fingers roamed, straying past the sensitive nub beneath her bra. "C'mon." Yang murmured, barely suppressing a shudder. Gods she hated how she felt right now. "Mom's here- _ah_!" She squeaked at a brand new pressure, on her crotch, Neo's free hand attempting to stimulate her far further than she was willing to endure, given the circumstances. She pulled away. "Neo, baby, honey, please, not in public, okay?"

In response, Neo just frowned, leaning back into her seat before picking up her drink and taking out her scroll. It seemed that was all the attention Yang was going to get, at least for the time being. "Okay, I'll uh, I'll be around if you need anything else." She mumbled, her smile fading. Making her way back to the bar counter, she was met by Cinder, a concerned look on her face.

"Are you alright Yang?" Cinder wondered as the blonde placed her empty tray onto the counter.

Yang sighed. "Yeah... yeah I'm fine. Just an uh, _unexpected_ visit."

Cinder tilted her head, likely taking a look over at the corner booth, before her eye widened. After a moment she quickly recovered. "May I... ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"What's her name?" Cinder asked, gesturing behind Yang.

Turning her head, Yang found the other woman was pointing at Neo. "Oh, that's Neo. She's uh, the one I told you about the other day." Yang explained. "Why do you ask? You know her or somethin'?"

"I used to." Cinder simply responded.

Yang quirked a brow. "You used to?"

"I dated her in high school."

 _Wow, small world_. Yang thought to herself. What were the odds that her new co-worker and current friend with benefits dated in high school? Probably fairly low. Yang wondered how they- wait a second. "How... old are you? If you don't mind me asking of course."

"Thirty four." Cinder replied.

Yang blinked. "Wait, really?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "No, I'm actually a thousand. Yes Yang I'm thirty four."

"No no, I believe you, it's just... wow, Neo's a lot older than I thought."

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "I understand that. The only reason I knew her age was because she was a grade below me, and even then it was only a guess."

Yang thought for a moment, causing her to realize something. "She's never talked about high school before."

"I don't recall her ever talking." Cinder observed with a slight smirk.

Yang laughed. "Good point."

"Quite an... interesting girl that one." Cinder added.

"What was she like in high school?" Yang inquired.

Cinder did not respond immediately, likely thinking back to that time, as it was quite a while ago, even for the blonde. "She was... an acquired taste, to put it simply."

"Acquired taste huh? Yeah that sounds about right." Yang chuckled. Before she could continue she felt her scroll vibrate from her pocket. Pulling the device free, she found a text from... Neo. It only read a single word: _Done_. Turning her head, Yang found the mute staring at her from the corner booth, a smirk on her face as she held up her empty glass. "It seems my services are required." Cinder just nodded before the blonde made her way back over to Neo. "You want another drink?" Yang wondered. Neo simply shook her head before handing the empty glass to her. The next thing to do was discuss the bill, but she knew the other woman did not want to pay, evident by the fact that she was not even reaching for her wallet. Might as well make it seem like it was at least her idea. "Well you know it's always on the house for you babe." She smiled.

Neo simply raised from her seat before shuffling out of the booth. Yang was not expecting another kiss, or even a hug really. Neo was not one for... call them _cute_ displays of affection - hugs, quick kisses, hand-holding, all that things the blonde wished she could have.

"Hey, so- _ah_!" Yang gasped as she felt Neo's small hand firmly grope her rear, the shorter woman briefly smirking up at her and winking before walking past her to exit the bar. Once she was gone, Yang sighed.

"It was nice seeing you too..."

* * *

Yang needed a break.

Once Neo had left, she decided to take a few minutes to rest in the back room. Even without the public groping, her visits were sometimes... trying to say the least. She always ordered the same drink, though that did not mean she was an easy person to serve. Whenever Yang was bartending, she had to make sure to use precise amounts of ingredients, a specific type of glass, and always have it ready by the time she arrived - at least normally, when she warned her. Thankfully Neo was a bit more lenient with her preferences when Vernal was bartending.

After grabbing quick snack, Yang returned to the front area - No more excitement, no more surprising visits, just... normal work. Just how she liked it. Sure it was not exactly the most complicated or sophisticated job around, but it was fulfilling, and she enjoyed it.

"Enjoy your drinks!" Yang beamed as she placed several drinks in front of another group of customers. They gave her their thanks and she turned to head back to the bar counter. But before she could, she heard an all-to-familiar voice from behind her.

"Hey there blondie, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?"

Yang could not help but grin, as she knew _exactly_ who that voice belonged to. A normally soft, pleasant sound, practically ruined when she put on that edgy punk act. Turning around, she was met by the smiling face of Weiss. "Hey punk stuff. You _still_ sound super lame."

With her lips still curled in a smile, Weiss rolled her eyes. "And here I thought I was getting better."

"Nah, even now you're like one of those teenagers that always come in on Fridays." Yang chuckled. "Plus those baby blue eyes of yours don't exactly help."

Weiss blinked. "Wait, what?"

"I thought your contacts were dark orange." Yang added.

Pulling out her scroll, Weiss checked her reflection, and instantly scowled. "Ugh, _fuck_ , I knew I forgot something." She huffed. "Am I really not improving?"

"That depends, are you trying to sound like an edgy teenager?" Yang wondered, a smirk on her face.

"That's rude."

"But accurate." The blonde grinned.

Weiss sighed. "What do I have to do, work a moan into my speech?"

Yang held back a giggle. "Oh please do. I would love to hear that." The other woman raised a brow in response. "I mean, uh, shut up you know what I mean."

Weiss laughed. "Yes I know what you mean Yang."

"So, you want me to get your girlfriend?" Yang asked, changing the subject.

"I'm actually looking for your mom." Weiss clarified.

Yang quirked a brow. "Oh? Is Vernal not enough of a badass for you?"

Weiss rolled her eyes again. "Oh hush you, it's about having my birthday party here."

There it was, that uptight cadence. No matter how punk Weiss forced herself to be, if ever she reprimanded someone that rousing tone always crept back into her voice. It made Yang smile. She much preferred it when she used her normal voice. "Really? You know she's gonna say yes Weiss. We did have your party here last year after all."

"I know I know, I just want to make sure." Weiss added.

"Alright, well she's in her office." Yang informed.

"Thanks!" Weiss smiled before making her way over to the bar.

Yang watched as she lifted and passed under the hatch, where she was met by Vernal - who instantly pulled her into a passionate kiss. It was kind of sweet- _Oh now they're using tongue... How pleasant_. She had to bite down a sigh. This was the public affection she craved, a real kiss between lovers, not just shameless groping. Sure Vernal and Weiss participated in that quite often but the two shared a much more meaningful intimacy in public. She wished Neo would kiss her like that... or kiss her at all, without expecting anything in return.

Soon enough the pair separated - thankfully - and Weiss headed into the back area. Yang decided to just get back to work, but unfortunately all her customers seemed to be happy with their drinks for the time being. Even Cinder had all of hers covered - Which was great, but at the same time, that meant there was nothing to do, at least until Weiss returned.

Luckily Yang did not have to wait long, as the wannabe punk soon exited the back area. She briefly spoke to Vernal - looking very happy - before approaching the blonde.

"So? What'd she say?" Yang wondered.

"It seems we are having my party here." Weiss smiled.

"Told ya."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well excuse me for wanting to be sure I could use the bar for the day."

"And now that mom's agreed to it, what do you think you wanna do for the party?" Yang asked.

Weiss did not respond immediately - likely thinking about her answer. "I just want to... be around family." She shrugged, smiling meekly. "I realize you guys aren't my _real_ family, but my only actual real family is my sister, and she's busy all the time. You guys are the family I have here, and I love you guys."

"Aww, how sappy." Yang smiled. "You're gonna make me cry."

"Well it's true." Weiss stated. "You, Vernal, Ruby, Pyrrha, you're all my family."

Yang raised a brow. "Even Raven?"

Weiss nodded. "Even Raven."

"Even Qrow?"

Weiss let out a small chuckle. "Don't push it."

"Aw come on, Qrow's not _that_ bad!" Yang laughed.

Weiss joined the blonde in laughter. "I know I know, I was only joking."

Suddenly Yang felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned to find Cinder standing behind her, an empty tray timidly held over her chest. "What's up Cinder?"

"Hey." Weiss greeted, in her punk voice. Yang had to bite back a smile. It was always amusing to watch her act like that to other people.

"H-Hello..." Cinder nodded to Weiss before turning back to Yang. "Would you... like me to cover for you for a little while?" She wondered. "Since it's not that busy... and you did the same for me earlier..."

Yang blinked, not expecting the offer. "Oh, sure. That would be great!" She answered with a smile. Turning back to Weiss, she gestured to the end of the bar. "You wanna go sit in the back for a bit?"

Weiss shrugged. "Sure thing blondie." Still in that voice - still amusing.

"Cool." Yang briefly turned to the older woman. "If you need anything, just come get me." She smiled.

"Of course." Cinder nodded.

Making their way into the back room, the pair took their seats on opposite sides of the lone table. As Weiss sat down, she sighed. "Have I ever told you how much I hate the fact that you can just take breaks whenever you want?"

Yang thought for a moment. "Probably... at least a dozen times now?" She guessed, knowing how much the other woman disliked her job. "But I can't just take one whenever I want, most of the time I need someone to cover for me if I want a break."

"Still better than a single ten minute break per shift." Weiss huffed. "Can I just work here please?"

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Well for one, you've never worked a day at a bar in your life, and second, you already have a job that involves _ice cream_! I mean come on, I would _love_ to work with ice cream!"

Weiss slumped onto the table. "Yang, you have _no idea_ how sick and tired I am of ice cream, I don't even want my favourite anymore! Just looking at that frozen dairy crap makes my wrist cramp up." She complained, raising her hands for emphasis.

"Well then, _I should probably return that ice cream themed birthday present I got you_..." Yang pretended to mumble to herself.

Weiss giggled. "I know you didn't get me something ice cream themed Yang."

Yang smirked. "Did I?"

Weiss slightly narrowed her eyes. "Did you?"

Yang did not respond immediately - on purpose of course - attempting to get Weiss to actually think she did. Once her expression began shifting from suspicious to slightly concerned, Yang smiled. "Nah, I got you something _super_ cool."

Weiss quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? _Super cool_ huh?"

"Yup! _Super_ cool and _super_ secret!" Yang confirmed with a grin.

"Does that mean no hints?" Weiss asked, an innocent smile on her face.

One part of living alone with Ruby for five years was the constant exposure to _the face_ \- that being the younger sibling's puppy dog eyes that she would use to try to get what she wanted. Weiss was doing very something similar now - the same thing she tried the previous year - but unfortunately for her, Ruby did not teach her well enough in the art of _the face_. Yang smirked. "Nice try."

"It was worth a shot."

"Sorry punk stuff, I know those eyes _all too well_." Yang continued. "Plus that getup doesn't exactly help."

Looking down at her outfit, Weiss giggled. "I suppose I can't be cute and intimidating at the same time."

"Unless you're an angry Ruby." Yang noted.

Weiss smiled. "Yes, unless you're an angry Ruby."

"Oh! That actually reminds me, have you seen any of the recent season of Truffle Troop?" Yang inquired.

Weiss shook her head, her smile fading. "I haven't gotten the chance, Vernal doesn't like it when I watch too many cartoons."

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Yeah I know how you feel... kinda. Neo can get like that too sometimes."

"Speaking of... how is Neo?" Weiss wondered.

Yang shrugged. "Oh, you know... talkative."

Weiss quirked a brow. "Didn't you say she was mute?"

"Yup."

The room was silent for a moment, until Weiss seemingly figured it out. "Oh, right, a joke, hah."

Yang just laughed.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter, just like chapter 3, 2/3 of these scenes were supposed to be in the previous chapter, but it was getting to long. Plus I wanted to get 6 out before Christmas.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! And as always, your feedback fuels me!


	11. Therapy

**Author's Note** : So so sorry this is so late, my schedule has been really packed recently. But it's here now!

* * *

When Cinder woke up, she was feeling... actually rather refreshed.

After talking with Nora for... quite a while, the redhead offered to stay the night - Which of course she accepted. Not because she did not want to be alone, she just did not want to be rude. So, after a nice - and very early - dinner consisting of Mistrali takeout, they turned in for the night.

The next morning, Cinder awoke to a familiar pressure on top of her, which made her smile. Out of the _many_ times the two had shared a bed, she actually quite enjoyed when Nora was the one cuddling up to her. It reminded her of when she used to wake up with Emerald in her arms, the younger woman's head on her chest, occasionally drooling onto her shirt - Not unlike the way she woke up with Nora sometimes. Though this particular morning was a bit different. When Cinder reached up to Nora's head - head scratches were almost always a sure way to help wake the girl up - what she felt was not her hair. Instead her hand made contact with her own shirt, yet... it still felt like there was a head underneath.

Cracking open her eye, Cinder looked down to find a rather... interesting sight. Nora was indeed on top of her, just not in the way she expected. Sitting beneath the fabric of her shirt was Nora's head, rather than it just being on her naked stomach like usual. _What an odd sensation_. Strangely enough it brought with it a similar feeling to when she was eaten out from under a skirt - Specifically _Nora's_ skirt. That was an interesting story. Put simply, the redhead mentioned how she wanted to _try something_ one afternoon, and because Cinder had not owned a skirt in quite some time, it ended with her wearing one of Nora's while the younger woman had her head in between her legs. What a fun day that was...

"You awake Cindy?" Came Nora's sudden and quiet voice from under her shirt, pulling Cinder from her thoughts.

A smile found its way onto Cinder's face as she rolled her eye. "And just how long have you been conscious?"

Nora giggled in response. "A little while."

"Why didn't you get up?" Cinder wondered. "Don't you have to go to the bathroom?"

"Maybe a _wee_ bit." Nora admitted. "But I couldn't just _abandon_ my two best friends!"

Cinder quirked her brow. _Two best friends_? "What are you talking about Nora?" Once again the redhead giggled, which further raised her suspicions. Then she felt a set of fingers begin to trail up her stomach - which tickled quite a bit - until they reached and gently took hold of her right breast. _Of course that's what she meant._

"Well... I've got my one friend right here..." Nora began, giving it a quick squeeze for emphasis. "And then her sister over here..." She continued, bringing her other hand up to grasp Cinder's left breast, her head still pressed against the older woman's stomach. Nora hummed as she began to slowly fondle the soft mounds, moving her head up to plant a kiss on the left one. "I love these..."

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "As you've said _many_ times."

"I can't help it!" Nora defended from under Cinder's shirt. "They're just so... great!"

"As if mine could even compare to yours." Cinder scoffed. "You have two perfect _youthful_ breasts, all I've got are these half-burnt ba- _ah_!" She gasped as Nora suddenly bit down on one of her nipples. "You little shit!" Grabbing a hold of the redhead's shoulders, Cinder simultaneously flipped them over so she was on top and pulled Nora's head out from underneath her shirt. Once she had essentially pinned her to the bed, Nora just grinned.

"No self-hating on my watch!"

Letting out a sigh, Cinder could not help but smile down at her friend. In all honesty she probably should have expected her to do something like that. Whenever she said anything remotely negative about herself, Nora was always sure to tell her - or in cases such as this one, _show_ her - how wrong she was.

"So you goin' into work today?" Nora wondered. Then she smirked. "Or am I gonna get you _all to myself?"_

Cinder chuckled. "Of course I'm going into work today, why wouldn't I be..." She began to answer before a realization hit her. "Wait... shit."

"What is it Cindy?" Nora asked, the smirk fading from her face.

"I completely forgot to text Raven." Cinder admitted, bringing a hand up to run it through her hair. She sighed. "Well I suppose I will be staying home today, as I doubt there's any need for me now."

"Why don't you ask?" Nora inquired. "The worst she could say is you can have the day off."

"Very well." Cinder acknowledged. It was true she still needed the money, but she also did not want to be useless. Getting off of Nora, Cinder reached over the mattress to retrieve her scroll from the floor before sitting back down beside her friend. After typing out a message to her boss, she read it several times to check for any mistakes.

 _Hello Raven,_

 _I realized I forgot to inform you yesterday if I would be well enough to come in, but I was wondering if you needed me to work today._

 _\- Cinder_

Thankfully it was not long before Cinder received a response.

 **Raven** : _Well if you're feeling up to it that'd be great. We could use the extra help since it's Saturday and all, plus Yang's got the day off too._

A smile found its way onto Cinder's face. It was nice to know she would not be useless.

 **Cinder** : _Thank you very much Raven. I will make my way over after I eat lunch._

Unfortunately that smile faded when Raven's next response came.

 **Raven** : _Sounds good. Come to my office when you get here. I've gotta talk to you about something._

 _Well that's just great_. Cinder thought to herself. _Maybe this time it'll be about something I don't dread talking about_. She sighed. Somehow she highly doubted that.

"You okay Cindy?" Nora wondered, a look of concern on her face.

"Raven said I can work today... but she wants to talk to me when I get there." Cinder informed, her shoulders slumping a bit.

Nora just smiled. "Doesn't mean it's a _bad_ talk." Then that smile became a smirk. "You never know, could be the type where _your bodies do the talkin'."_

Cinder chuckled, shaking her head as she did so. "I don't think so Nora."

"You never knooowwww!" Nora grinned.

Cinder rolled her eye, turning away to attempt to suppress the slight blush on her face. "Let's just get some lunch made." She changed the subject, swinging her legs off of the mattress to stand up. Unfortunately that did not stop her mind from wandering into some _very_ inappropriate places. _Guess that's what I get for hanging around Nora so often_. Cinder imagined sitting in Raven's office, the older woman sitting behind her desk, a hungry look in her eyes and a grin on her face. Her boss then raised from her chair, crawling up onto her desk before-

 _Nope._

 _Nope._

 _Nope!_

 _That's your boss you're thinking about!_

 _Stop it._

It was time for lunch.

* * *

After Nora had cooked them both a nice lunch, and said lunch had been consumed, Cinder was off to work - but of course not without the redhead helping her get prepared first. Normally whenever Nora assisted her with dressing, she always made it as sexy as possible, but she knew the older woman had to get to work, so she kept it plain and simple. Helping Cinder out of her makeshift pajamas, Nora retrieved a long-sleeved button-up shirt and a pair of dress pants - both black - as well as a clean set of underwear for her. Once she was dressed and ready, she bid Nora farewell and headed out.

As usual, it was only a short walk before Cinder arrived at the bar, but when she entered the parking lot, her shoulders immediately slumped. Sitting in its normal parking spot was... Vernal's Harley... _Shit_. Well, perhaps that was a bit harsh. It was not as if she _disliked_ Vernal, it was just... she would rather have Yang working on this particular afternoon. Cinder sighed. Why did she have to be off today? She could really use the... _emotional_ support - for lack of a better word - for when the talk with Raven inevitably goes to shit.

Wait a minute.

Pulling out her scroll, Cinder navigated through her notably small contacts list until she found the most recently created one - Yang's. Seeing the blonde's smiling face in the contact picture - as she insisted on taking one - gave her an idea. Just because she was unable to speak to Yang face to face after the unavoidable shitshow of a discussion with Raven, did not mean she could not speak with her at all. She could just text her. Although... it was her day off... Was it really fair for Cinder to text her for the sole purpose of venting? Now that she thought about it, probably not. Sliding her scroll back into her pocket, she let out another sigh. _Guess I'll just... figure something out._

Once inside the building, Cinder contemplated getting her name tag, but ultimately decided against it and just went straight to her boss' office. Taking a deep breath, she firmly knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came Raven's voice from the other side.

One more deep breath. Slowly opening the door, Cinder stepped into the office. "You said you wanted to speak with me?" She asked, closing the door behind her and approaching her boss' desk.

"Yeah yeah, take a seat." Raven requested, gesturing to the chairs in front of her.

Once Cinder had sat down, Raven put her computer to sleep and turned to face her. This was the part where she expected her boss to begin talking, but instead she raised from her seat and circled the desk before sitting down in the second chair. _Oh it's one of those talks. Wonderful._

"So uh, just like last time this isn't work talk, so I'm not speaking as your boss." Raven explained. "I'm speaking as someone who _watched_ your health deteriorate until you actually _collapsed_ out of exhaustion. Someone who's worried about your well being. Look, I know you're in a tough situation, but I'm not gonna let you work yourself to death. So I uh..." She sighed, actually avoiding Cinder's gaze, as if she were embarrassed, or... _guilty_. "I called in a favour."

 _Called in a favour_? The words echoed in Cinder's mind. "What exactly does that entail?" She wondered aloud.

"I have an old uh, friend- or... acquaintance, Glynda... I'm not really sure what we are exactly, but that's besides the point." Raven continued, still not meeting the younger woman's eye. "She's a therapist, and after work yesterday I called her to ask if... she would see you for an appointment."

Cinder did not respond immediately, her mind too busy trying to process what her boss just said. "Excuse me?" Was what ended up leaving her mouth, in a slightly harsher tone than she meant to use. Even so, a _therapy_ appointment? Did Raven think there was something... _wrong_ with her? Sure she had a bit of a problem with her insomnia, but that was far from a reason to go to therapy. So she had a nightmare every other night? It was not as if that was a _new_ issue. Plus that would soon be taken care of with help from Nora.

"I told her I'd talk to you before making any decisions, but I think this could be good for you." Raven encouraged, finally meeting Cinder's gaze and offering a tired smile.

" _Good for me_?" Cinder repeated, hostility in her voice. She knew this was _definitely_ not the tone to have around her boss, but she also did _not_ like what Raven was suggesting. "I don't want to be _oogled_ and _pitied_ by some stranger who's going to _peel apart_ my feelings until they think they know me."

"Cinde-"

"I'm not going to spend hundreds of lien that I don't have, allow them to _poke_ and _prod_ until I share my life story with them." Cinder continued, her voice beginning to lose its edge as her gaze fell to her lap. "I don't want to be _examined_ by anyone... I just want the pain to go away... To be able to look at myself in the mirror again and not be... _disgusted_ at what I see." Suddenly she felt her boss' hand on her shoulder, but she did not turn.

"I realize it's not the most _preferable_ option, but I've seen first hand what happens to people when they try to deal with their issues alone." Raven pressed. "I really think Glynda can help you. I wouldn't have called her if I didn't think she could. Look, I'm not gonna force you to go, but just... see her _once_. If it doesn't help, you don't have to go again." She offered a slight smile, even though the younger woman was not looking. "I'll uh, even go with you if you don't wanna go alone."

Cinder kept her eye glued to her lap, not wanting to meet Raven's gaze. She knew for a fact she definitely did _not_ want to go to therapy, but on the other hand... her _boss_ thought she should go. It was true she _said_ Cinder had a choice, but was refusing to go _really_ an option? If she were to say no, what would Raven say? She would surely be disappointed, especially since she went to the trouble of contacting a therapist for her. So... what could she do? As far as Cinder could imagine, she had two options: She could either go to therapy and fix herself, or she could decline, not only letting her boss down, but likely ensuring she gets fired down the line.

 _Well fuck_.

Taking a deep breath, Cinder hesitantly raised her head and turned to face her boss, who still had a slight smile on her face. As much as she wished she could say no, it was not really an option. It took a bit of time, but eventually she was able to slowly nod before speaking a single word.

"Okay..."

Cinder was very much not looking forward to this.

* * *

After a surprisingly short shift, it was finally time... and Cinder was absolutely _terrified_.

Talking about - and subsequently agreeing to - therapy was one thing, but actually _going_? Now that was something else entirely. In all honesty, she was not entirely sure if she was actually _ready_ for this - considering she needed her boss to call Glynda back for her to set up this appointment - but sadly it was a bit too late to reconsider things. Once again, Cinder wished she could just disappear. Too bad that was impossible, as she was currently in Raven's car... on route to Glynda's office.

 _Wonderful._

On one hand, Cinder was somewhat relieved the appointment was scheduled for today, as she did not have to spend more than a day with the thought plaguing her mind, but on the other... it meant she did not have _nearly_ enough time to mentally prepare for this. At least she had the rest of the car ride to-

"Hey, we're here." Came Raven's voice, pulling Cinder from her thoughts as she felt the car come to a stop.

 _Fuck._

As her boss turned off the car engine, Cinder looked up from her lap to observe their surroundings. She could see they were parked in front of a modest building, a large sign board set above the front door and windows.

 **Goodwitch Therapy**

"Ready?" Raven asked as she unbuckled her seat belt.

Cinder sighed, doing the same. "Is it too late to say no?" She wondered as Raven opened her own door.

Turning back towards the younger woman, Raven offered a slight smile. "You've got nothing to worry about, Glynda's not gonna bite." Then she paused. "Well, unless she's drunk." To which Cinder raised her brow, causing Raven to chuckle. "I'll tell you some other time." She promised before getting out of the car.

Taking a deep breath, Cinder reached for the car door, her hands beginning to shake. She exited the vehicle and timidly followed Raven to the front entrance of the building, but before they reached the door, she stopped dead in her tracks.

 _I can't do this._

Cinder did not want to be here. She wanted to get back in Raven's car, beg her boss to take her home. As nice as it would be to fix her issues, she had absolutely _no_ desire to talk about all of those issues with _another_ person. Cinder did not want to be pitied anymore, or worse... _judged_. Raven had told her that she had nothing to worry about, but in truth she had a lot to be worried about. For all she knew, they were going to walk into that office and she would be turned away due to what she was accused of. She was just so tired of being followed by that fire everywhere she went.

"You coming?" Raven wondered as she held the door open, interrupting Cinder's less-than-pleasant train of thought.

"I... can't do this." Cinder bit through clenched teeth, her shoulders paralyzed with tension.

Letting the door swing closed, Raven approached Cinder. Her gaze shifted downward, likely to the younger woman's trembling hands, before doing something rather... _unexpected_. Positioning herself on Cinder's left, she reached over and took her employee's quivering hand in her own, intertwining their fingers, and as if by instinct, Cinder gripped it like a lifeline.

"You can, and you will." Raven assured. "It's not gonna be easy, but I promise it'll be worth it." She offered another smile. "And uh, if it makes you feel any better, I'm next on the chopping block."

Cinder blinked. "You... are?"

Raven nodded. "It was a condition of letting me pay for any of your future sessions."

 _Oh, that would make sense- Wait a minute_. Cinder's eye widened. "You're... paying for this?"

"Yup." Raven confirmed. "I didn't think it'd be fair to make you pay for something that was my idea."

Cinder opened her mouth to answer, but no words came. What could she even say? Raven had not only signed her up for therapy because she was worried, but she was _paying_ for it. Thankfully she was eventually able to at least manage _something_. "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it." Raven smiled. "Now come on, Glynda's likely waiting for us."

Taking a deep breath, Cinder slowly nodded. "Okay."

With Raven taking the lead, the pair made their way through the front door and into what Cinder could only guess was a waiting room. It was not a very large space, but also not cramped. Most would call it an _average waiting room_. Light tones, plenty of natural light, uplifting posters on the walls, a number of empty chairs filling the area, a television playing the news perched up on the wall, a black-haired secretary that practically had her own office, standard stuff. Overall, it was not an overly fancy place, but it was still... _pleasant_ , which was at least nice.

As the door closed behind them, the secretary looked up and warmly smiled at the pair. "Hi there, what can I do for you?"

"Hey." Raven greeted. "This is Cinder, she's got an appointment scheduled with Glynda for today."

The secretary moved over to her computer and began typing, where Cinder could see her hair was actually not black, but a very dark grey. "Cinder... Fall?" She wondered, looking back to the pair. Cinder timidly nodded in response. The secretary smiled. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Fall. I'm Gwen, Dr. Goodwitch's assistant."

Oh, _assistant_ , not secretary. Cinder offered a small smile. "Nice to meet you..."

"I'll retrieve Dr. Goodwitch." Gwen stood from her chair. "She's just in her office."

"Thanks." Raven acknowledged as Gwen exited her little office-type-room and made her way down the hallway.

Luckily - or maybe unluckily, depending on who was asked - Gwen soon returned, followed by a taller, older, and if Cinder was being honest, quite attractive blonde woman, clad in a white dress shirt and a high-waste pencil skirt - as well as a pair of thin ovular glasses. _Must be Glynda_. Cinder thought to herself. As she approached the pair, she offered a smile to Cinder, but as her eyes landed on Raven, she stopped, her smile vanishing. Cinder looked between the two. She was aware that they knew one another, but was somewhat confused over why they were just staring at each other. Maybe something had happened in the past? Thankfully when Glynda continued walking, she did not look angry. Instead she seemed... _relieved_. Cinder watched as the blonde walked straight towards them, a smile growing on her face - even tears beginning to pool in her eyes - before she threw her arms around Raven, nearly knocking her over.

" _Oomf_!" Raven managed as she tried to not only keep her balance under Glynda's weight, but do it one-handed - since Cinder was still grasping her hand. "Nice to see you too."

Glynda was silent briefly, simply relishing the moment. Eventually she spoke, fairly softly. "I missed you Raven."

Raven let out a soft chuckle, patting the blonde on the back. "Missed you too Glynda."

Cinder got the feeling there was much more to this relationship than Raven initially let on.

Releasing Raven, Glynda took a step back, wiping the tears from her eyes. Shifting her gaze downward, likely to the pair's linked hands, she briefly raised a brow before quickly looking back up to the younger woman and smiling. "You must be Ms. Fall."

Cinder timidly nodded. "Just Cinder is fine."

"Very well, Cinder." Glynda acknowledged. "Why don't you follow me to one of the back rooms and we can get started."

Cinder went to take a step forward, but she froze, still feeling Raven's hand firmly holding her own. "Is it... alright if Raven is present?" She requested.

"Is that okay with you?" Glynda asked, turning to the woman in question, who nodded.

"I said I'd come with her, so if she wants me there, I'll be there." Raven answered.

"Alright, please follow me." Glynda smiled, turning to lead the pair into one of the back rooms.

As Cinder - practically led by the hand by Raven - entered the fairly small room, she could not help but notice how well it matched the rest of the office. It has such a pleasant tone. While Cinder and Raven took their seats on the lone couch, Glynda took her own in the armchair opposite of it. The room was silent briefly, so the blonde decided to speak up.

"So, where shall we begin?" Glynda asked, crossing one leg over the other as she smiled.

"I, um..." Cinder hesitantly started, but was unable to continue. She looked to her boss, who offered her own tired smile. _You can do this_. Cinder told herself. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Raven thought I should come see you..."

"And why is that?" Glynda inquired.

Cinder opened her mouth to speak, but no answer came. She knew exactly why she was there, but she could not quite find her voice. It was as if she was unable to speak. _Why can't I answer her_? She had been able to open up about all her feelings and problems to Nora, so... why not Glynda? Was it because she was a professional therapist, rather than just a friend offering the help? Whatever the reason might have been, it was preventing Cinder from answering the question. If not for Raven holding her hand, she likely would have been shaking. Luckily Glynda seemed to take notice of her uneasiness.

"Why don't I start?" Glynda offered.

Cinder blinked. "You... start?" She echoed.

"That's right. I cannot force you to open up, so I think I should instead... _lower_ myself to a more relatable level." Glynda explained. "Show you that you can trust me with your issues by proving that I trust you with mine."

After a moment Cinder nodded. "Okay..." She managed.

"Well, then I'll start from the beginning then." Glynda began. "Just over eight years ago, I had a husband, James. He was in the military, joined before we got together, so by the time we married I was already quite used to spending periods of time without him. Though, just because I was _used_ to it, did not mean it was easy. It wasn't. Far from it in fact. Not only were those the loneliest times of my life, but I was also constantly worried over whether James would come back or not." A small smile found its way onto the blonde's face. "But he always did, no matter how bad things seem to get." Then that smile faded. "Until he didn't."

Glynda did not continue immediately, instead taking a deep breath first. "It was supposed to be like any other time... I would meet him at the airport, we would head home, I'd cook us dinner, then we'd spend a nice romantic evening together... Instead I was met by one of his subordinates, who informed me... he had been killed in action..." Reaching over to the coffee table, she grabbed a tissue from the box that sat atop the coffee table that separated her from the other two, before lifting her glasses to dab the tears pooling in her eyes. "After the funeral, I fell apart... I couldn't work, I hardly ate, I barely even left my house. The only thing I did do was drink. I drank and I drank and I drank, trying to rid myself of the pain, but as many others could tell you, drinking away your problems doesn't really solve anything. It merely makes things worse." She sighed. "Now I'm sure you're wondering how I was able to make it out of that hole. Well, she's sitting right next to you."

Cinder's eye widened. _What_? She turned to her boss, who proceeded to... roll her eyes?

"As if I _really_ did anything." Raven scoffed. "I'm sure you could've gotten yourself out of it."

"Or I could've been picked up by someone much less friendly than you." Glynda countered. "Or drunkenly stumbled into traffic."

"You're much too smart for that." Raven insisted. "You didn't need me to help you."

Glynda let out a soft chuckle. "A modest one isn't she?"

Cinder managed a smile. _Modest_ could definitely be one word used to describe Raven, who just rolled her eyes again. Though that begged the question... "What... exactly did she do for you?" She asked.

"She saved me." Glynda informed with a smile. "Eight years ago I was just some intoxicated mess of a woman who staggered into her bar, but she decided to help me, or rather take _pity_ on me. I was quite a sad sight back then. Not only did she not kick me out when I caused a commotion, but she offered to call me a cab, and even offered me a place to stay when I couldn't remember where my home was." Then her eyes briefly flicked to Raven before moving back to Cinder. "Well, I suppose _couldn't remember_ is a bit of an over exaggeration. Truthfully I just... did not want to go home. There were too many memories there. All the photos of us, all the furniture we bought together, just... everything in that house only served as a reminder that James was gone." She sighed. "At my lowest point, Raven gave me the one thing I really needed; someone that I could just... _talk to_. When I didn't want to be at home, she gave me a place to stay. When I needed a shoulder to cry on, she was there." A smile formed on Glynda's face. "I'm sure she'll downplay it if asked, but if it was not for her, I'm unsure if I would be sitting here today."

 _So Raven saved her... just like she saved me..._

"Now I realize that my issues likely differ greatly from your own, but I wanted to show you that I understand what it's like to hit rock bottom." Glynda explained. "To feel like there's nowhere left for you to go... But trust me when I say this; it's okay to ask for help. While I know quite well how hard it is, and how... _weak_ it can make you feel, but I promise you, it can make the difference between getting better and... well, reaching the end of the line early."

Well, Glynda was certainly not wrong there. Having to rely on so many others for her problems _did_ make Cinder feel weak... _powerless_ even... Like she was unable to properly care for herself. All she wanted was for that feeling to go away. She just... did not know how to do that. It was true Nora had been - and honestly continues to be - a huge help when Cinder first arrived in the area, but there was only so much she could do. So... maybe it was time for her to actually accept the help from the professional therapist that was sitting right across the table from her.

Taking a deep breath, feeling the warmth of Raven's hand against her own, Cinder finally spoke. "I...I think I can try."

Glynda offered a soft smile. "I'm glad to hear that Cinder." Clicking open her pen, she raised her clipboard to write something down on it - Probably how long it took the younger woman to say she was ready. "Now, how have you been sleeping recently?"

Cinder lightly sighed in response.

 _This was going to be a long visit._

* * *

Pyrrha was quite glad to have had Yang around for the past day. Truth be told, she wished they could all spend more time together. Unfortunately Yang hardly ever took the weekends off, so aside from their visits to the bar during her shifts, they did not get to see her that often. Whenever they knew she was not working, she always seemed to be busy, not feeling well, or in the cases Pyrrha _really_ did not like, she had plans with Neo. Which sadly led to _why_ Yang was currently staying at her and Ruby's apartment - She had just gotten her heart broken... _again_.

From what little Yang had told them about that woman - and what Pyrrha had actually witnessed while at The Perch - she could easily tell that her sister-in-law was not exactly in an _ideal_ relationship. So when Yang had informed them that Neo had broken up with her, Pyrrha was almost... _relieved_... but at the same time she was not glad. Not in the _slightest_. She was not _glad_ that Yang had been dumped by that... that tiny gremlin! All Pyrrha - and Ruby of course - wanted was for Yang to be happy, but she also knew that for _years_ , there had been one thing, or to be more specific, one _person_ , that prevented her from being truly happy-

"Hey Pyr?" Came Ruby's voice from next to her, pulling Pyrrha from her... _less than pleasant_ thoughts.

Turning to face her wife, Pyrrha offered a smile. "Yes my dear?"

"You gonna finish chopping the tomatoes?" Ruby wondered.

Looking down, Pyrrha realized she had been neglecting her current task. "Oh, yes, of course." She responded before getting back to cutting. She and Ruby were in the midst of cooking a special dinner that was sure to help cheer Yang up... At least they hoped it would. Spicy Arrabiata pasta made with Rotelle - those little wheel-shaped noodles - and sausage was her favourite. But they would have to wait and see. Ever since the prior night - when they brought the intoxicated Yang back to the apartment - she had spent almost all of her time cooped up in the guest bedroom. The only times the redhead saw her leave was to use the bathroom and eat breakfast in the morning - the latter only because Ruby made her eat before she and Pyrrha each left for work. Meanwhile Yang had chosen to stay home, but yet again, only after a fair amount of convincing from her sister.

Once Pyrrha was done chopping the tomatoes, she lifted the cutting board to add the fruit pieces to the large frying pan full of other ingredients that her wife was currently tending to. After that she moved over to the sink to quickly wash the cutting board before depositing it onto the drying rack. She then rejoined Ruby - who was adding the last ingredients to the pan - at the stove to take the now-ready pasta off the burner and drain the water into the sink. Next she passed the pot to her wife, who poured the pasta into the frying pan.

"You wanna go get Yang?" Ruby asked as she began to stir the pasta. "Maybe you can get her help you set the table."

"Sure." Was not quite the answer Pyrrha _wanted_ to give, but she was also not going say no. Making her way out of the kitchen and towards the guest bedroom, she sighed. Ruby's constant positive attitude made her so much better at dealing with Yang when she was... well, depressed. But sadly her wife was busy with dinner, so it was up to Pyrrha. As she approached the bedroom door, she gently knocked, and as she expected, no answer came.

"Yang?" Pyrrha called out. "It's almost time for dinner, and I was wondering if you could help me set the table." Still no answer. "May I come in?" Once again, no answer, causing her to sigh. Reaching for the doorknob, Pyrrha slowly opened the bedroom door, and was met with a sight she was somewhat expecting, but still hoped she would not have to see. Curled up on the bed with her back to the redhead was Yang, looking even worse than before she left for work. Her hair was still a mess - meaning she had forgone a shower - and her pajama top was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully she was was still wearing the matching pants, but her entire upper body was on full display, along with the slightly faded Chinese dragon tattoo on her lower back - Something Pyrrha had nearly forgotten she had. Even with that, the redhead would have breathed a small sigh of relief - at first glance thinking the other woman failed to answer her calls because she was merely asleep - but she heard sniffling, which she knew was not a good sign.

As Pyrrha silently observed the frankly sad sight, her legs refusing to move, she could not help but think about how... _different_ Yang currently was from her sister. They had grown up in the same home, were cared for under the same people, yet now... they were in such dissimilar places in their lives. Ruby was just _twenty one_ , and she not only had a degree from a good university and a great job at a fairly large software company, but she was _married_. Yang on the other hand... did not have any of that. At twenty three, she had not gone to university - or even college for that matter - she had a near-dead end job, and her love life was... _problematic_ to say the least. Though to be fair that was hardly her fault. No, the responsibility for Yang's disastrous post-high school romantic endeavors lay with one person and one person alone. Someone who Pyrrha would rather not think about, as just the thought of her sickened the redhead.

After a quick breath, Pyrrha approached Yang, taking a seat on the bed next to her - and the blonde did not even move a muscle. She opened her mouth to speak, but froze. From her now closer position to Yang, Pyrrha was able to see why she was sniffling, and it made her heart sink. She was holding the previously lost pajama top in front of her, with tears running down her face.

Pyrrha lightly sighed. "Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" She asked, to which the blonde surprisingly answered.

" _She was the one Pyr..._ " Yang mumbled between sniffles. " _And I fucked it up..._ "

Those words sent a pang through Pyrrha's heart. She knew very well the story of Yang and Blake's... _complicated_ relationship. How they were once best friends, but the presence of romantic interest ruined that. They both confessed, and were both rejected. The difference was with how it was handled. When Yang was the one doing the rejecting, she made sure to do her best to preserve their friendship, but when _Blake_ was in that position, she did no such thing. Instead she decided to stop talking to Yang entirely before permanently moving to Menagerie, completely destroying the friendship that the blonde worked so hard to maintain. Though that did not mean Pyrrha was not aware of how different the confessions themselves were. While Blake opted for a more _romantic_ gesture, Yang, well... did it at their high school graduation party while fairly intoxicated before kissing the other girl. Not exactly the most _dignified_ way to make one's feelings known. But at the same time, that did not excuse what the Faunus did afterward. Not one bit.

Pyrrha placed a hand upon Yang's shoulder. "If she was truly the one, you would not be here alone right now. You know that Yang."

The other woman did not respond immediately, instead she sighed, letting the pajama top slip from her fingers and fall onto the bed. "So why does it still hurt so much?"

"Breakups can often bring with them thoughts of past relationships, partners, love interests... people that once brought pleasant memories. You believe focusing on someone else will help make you feel better, but in the end it only does the opposite." Pyrrha explained, her gaze falling slightly. "I know this very well, in fact I've experienced it." To which Yang partially turned her head towards her sister-in-law, who offered a smile. "As I said yesterday, we understand what you're going through Yang. We're family."

"What happened to you?" Yang quietly asked after a brief silence.

"Well, it was back during my second year of university, after... Jaune and I had broken up." Pyrrha informed, her voice wobbling slightly. She and Jaune had dated for four years, sharing many firsts together, but sadly grew apart due to attending different universities. "The decision to end the relationship was not at all an easy one, but both of us could see the long distance wasn't working out." She sighed. "Then after we had broken up, I... didn't fare very well to say the least. My grades began to slip, I ate less, I avoided going out, and most of all, Jaune was constantly at the forefront of my thoughts. I spent _weeks_ in a similar position to you. I'd go to my classes, do the work, then just... lie around. It wasn't until a friend of mine suggested I should _go out and get laid_ that I thought I figured out what I could do."

Yang's eyes widened slightly in response, causing Pyrrha to chuckle. "I didn't follow their advice to _sleep around_ after that if you're wondering, as much as I may have been tempted to. Going out and having sex with some random person just to make myself feel better... it wouldn't have felt right. Instead I just tried to fill my mind with thoughts of someone else other than Jaune, which eventually lead me to the crush I had before him; Saphron. Now I realize it's rather odd to think about a newly ex-boyfriend's sister, but it worked quite well, at least in the beginning. All the pleasant memories I had of her really helped with drowning out the unhappy ones." A smile found its way onto her face. "I even reached out to her and we texted back and forth for a little while." Then that smile faded. "Unfortunately it didn't last. No matter how much I wished I could avoid it, thinking about and talking to Saphron as much as I did led to hearing about her girlfriend... or wife by that point. I can't deny it wasn't nice to hear about how happy she was, but it still hurt as reminder that I was still alone."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Yang turned further toward the redhead. "So... how did you get out of that... _hole?"_

"I had help." Pyrrha answered with a smile.

"You had... help?" Yang echoed.

Pyrrha nodded. "When I began to... _slip_ again, I stopped talking to Saphron. It became too painful. Though luckily for me, she noticed. Considering how often I texted her before that, I imagine it was hard not to. Within a couple days she contacted me to ask if everything was okay. I attempted to assure her that things were fine, but as I expected, even in text she saw right through me. Though I suppose I wasn't exactly the _best_ at hiding my emotions when I was a teenager." She lightly chuckled. "But the point is, Saphron put things into perspective for me, and gave me the one thing I truly needed; someone I could talk to about my issues. She acknowledged everything wasn't okay, but taught me how I could work through it, and over the many times we spoke, there's one thing that has always stuck with me. Yang, if you really want to move forward, to honestly be happy, you have to stop focusing on the past, and start looking toward the future."

Once again - and as expected - Yang did not respond immediately, instead she shifted her gaze away from Pyrrha, seemingly in thought. The room was silent for a short time, the only thing that could be heard was an occasional sniffle from the blonde. Eventually Yang slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, but did not meet the other woman's gaze, keeping her eyes focused on her lap. Thankfully she soon looked up to make eye contact with Pyrrha, who offered a gentle smile.

"What do I do?" Yang quietly asked.

Reaching over, Pyrrha took Yang's hands in her own. "Let us help you."

"I..." Yang started before looking down at their connected hands. She then slowly nodded. "Okay..."

Pyrrha's smile grew brighter. "Thank you Yang." Releasing the blonde's hands, she shifted closer to wrap her in a gentle embrace, Yang briefly hesitating before accepting the hug, burying her face in the other woman's shoulder. As the pair simply sat in silence, enjoying each other's company, Pyrrha could not help but look over at the loose pajama shirt behind Yang. It made her frown. She knew that it was a horrible thing to imagine, but sometimes she wished that her sister-in-law had never met Blake in the first place.

Yang's life was lacking in a lot of ways... Schooling, her job, _companionship_... even with Neo, and Pyrrha viewed it as very much Blake's fault. She was always Yang's better half, and they worked well with that reality. Yang needed someone like Blake to temper her, and the Faunus would have known that, but she left their relationship in painful shambles, and made no effort to repair things. It was a betrayal of their bond. The thought of Pyrrha herself doing that to Ruby physically sickened her. So Blake sickened her. And Yang saddened her.

Yang needed purpose in life to give her structure. When they were young it was being a big sister. When Ruby matured, it was being Blake's other half. Without her she had fallen, and her attempts to fill that hole have only caused her more pain. Pyrrha had simple, strong views on the world. _You take care of your own. You love them as family and support them through thick and thin. To do less is a betrayal of the soul the gods bestowed upon you_. Blake had forsaken Yang's love and broken their bond, and never taken responsibility for that pain. Allowing Yang to wallow in it in her stead.

"I'm sorry." The blonde suddenly spoke, interrupting Pyrrha's train of thought.

"What are you sorry for?" Pyrrha wondered. genuinely confused.

"It must be embarrassing to have such a mess for a sister-in-law." Yang mumbled into Pyrrha's shoulder

"Now _stop it_." Pyrrha snapped. "You are _not_ a mess. You may not be in the best place right now, but that doesn't matter. You're family Yang, and I love you. _We_ love you."

After a moment, Yang lifted herself off of Pyrrha, offering a slight smile. "Thanks Pyr... And I love you guys too."

Pyrrha opened her mouth to respond, but she heard a giggle from the towards the door. Turning to the direction of the voice, Pyrrha found Ruby standing in the guest bedroom doorway, a smile present on her face.

"So is this what you meant when you said you were gonna throw yourself at my wife?"

Pyrrha knew she was joking, and that was not at all what was happening, so she decided to play along, turning back to the blonde. "Oh is that what you were doing?" Pyrrha faux-innocently wondered. "Why didn't you tell me Yang? I would have taken off my shirt as well."

Yang blinked. "Wait what-"

"Pyrrha!"

The redhead chuckled. "You know I kid, dear. She already had her shirt off before I came in."

As expected, Ruby just pouted like a child - it was so cute. "Well, just put it back on, it's time to set the table." She instructed before heading back to the kitchen.

Standing up from the bed, Pyrrha looked to Yang with a warm smile.

"Come on, we made your favourite."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hope you enjoyed! :D

Let me know what you thought in the comments!


	12. Fling

**Author's Note** : Wow this is late. Sorry about that. Had that good old writer's block.

Also, to Anonanon: No spoilers :P

Also _also_ , re-uploading this due to some issues I found.

Anywho, Enjoy this _super_ long chapter! Announcements at the end!

* * *

Cinder was exhausted.

After a _painfully_ long therapy session filled with tears from talking about her past, it was finally time to go home. Raven paid the session fee, bid farewell to and received another big hug from Glynda, and the pair headed out - All while their hands were still connected. It was not until the two entered Raven's car that their hands separated for the first time in several hours. As her boss started the vehicle and pulled out of the parking spot, Cinder glanced down at her now free hand. After having her fingers intertwined with Raven's for that long, it almost felt... _strange_ not to be holding anything. Maybe... they could hold hands again... That would be nice...

"Hey, Cinder?" Came Raven's voice, interrupting the younger woman's train of thought.

Cinder looked up and turned to her boss. "Yes?"

"You wanna get something to eat?" Raven wondered.

Cinder blinked. "As in... together?"

"Well yeah, that's why I'm asking." Raven clarified. "It wouldn't be anything fancy, just some fast food or takeout or something. I know a few places with drive thrus if you don't wanna go out in public. You got anything you feel like?"

"Not really." Cinder mumbled. "But... I'd rather not have to be in public right now if that's okay."

"Sounds good to me." Raven acknowledged. "The less I have to deal with the fake smiles and happy-go-lucky attitudes of those fast food workers the better."

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "Tell me about it."

After a brief silence, Raven spoke up again. "What about pitas? I haven't had one of those in a while."

Cinder thought for a moment. The only times she usually ate out - not counting Nora - were Mistrali takeout with the redhead. Otherwise she tried to stick to cooking her own meals. It was normally cheaper that way. "That's fine." She agreed.

"Alright, pitas it is then." Raven noted, flipping on her turn signal to alter their course.

Surprisingly, the restaurant ended up being much closer to Cinder's apartment than she expected. It was actually part of a plaza she had been to before, as the small grocery store she regularly visited was there as well. Maybe if this was good she could come back sometime. As Raven pulled the car into the building's drive thru, Cinder was able to get a look at the menu. There were a lot of options...

"Is there anything you recommend?" Cinder asked as she continued to scan the menu.

"Well I usually get the Ricey Pita, but the Tropical is also pretty good, same with the Sizzler if you like like spicy food." Raven explained.

 _I like spicy food_. Cinder thought to herself. The tingling sensation on her tongue, the fire burning in her stomach... It was such an... _exciting_ sensation. "I will have a Sizzler then."

Raven offered a smile. "Good choice. You want a drink too? Cause you're gonna need it."

"I can handle my spices just fine." Cinder assured, in a _slightly_ sassier tone than she meant to use. "But a water is fine."

"Guess we'll see." Raven jested, shooting a slight smirk over at the other woman.

Pulling the car up to the speaker next to the menu, Raven ordered her food. Cinder opened her mouth to do the same, but her boss continued to do it for her... which was nice of her, but odd. She may had just come from a therapy session, but she was still perfectly capable of ordering for herself... or at least _mostly_ capable. Once the orders were placed and Raven had payed at the first window - Cinder attempted to cover for herself, but the older woman insisted - she pulled up to the second one to collect their food.

"So where do you wanna eat?" Raven wondered after being handed the bag of food. "We could go back to the bar, maybe look for a free bench in the park if you're feeling up for it, or hell we can just find a parking spot and eat in here if you want. I don't really care either way."

Cinder thought for a moment. She did not not want to make Raven drive back to the bar just so they could eat in private, nor did she really care to be out in public - for obvious reasons - but eating in the car seemed like a fine option. Sure, it was not exactly the most practical setup, since there was nowhere aside from their laps to put the food, but it was far from unusable. "Can we eat here?" Cinder requested.

"Sure thing." Raven agreed, pulling the car out of the drive thru.

Thankfully it did not take long for them to find a spot, as the plaza was not very busy. It was past closing time for a good number of the establishments after all. Once the vehicle had been parked and shut off, the pair dug in. Upon first biting into the pita, one thing immediately came to Cinder's mind; where was the spice? Raven had said it was going to be hot, and even said she would _need_ water, but so far she was tasting no such thing-

 _"Hmph!"_

 _Holy shit this thing is spicy_. And that was saying something, considering how much Cinder enjoyed spicy food. Though that of course was not a bad thing. The pita was absolutely delicious, which meant she would definitely have to come back someday soon. Then she heard snickering from next to her.

"Told ya." Raven smirked, trying to hold back a laugh as the younger woman took a drink of her water.

"Shut up!" Cinder whined. "It just wasn't spicy at first!"

Raven then quirked a brow, a slight smirk still present on her face. "Did you just tell your _boss_ to shut up?"

Cinder froze, suddenly aware of what she just said. "I... uh..."

"Is this how you talked to your old boss?" Raven wondered.

"Gods no." Cinder laughed. "No one would survive that."

"Sounds like a bitch." Raven observed.

Cinder let out a slightly nervous chuckle. "She's the kind of individual who you always wonder if they're standing right behind you."

"How pleasant."

"It's not as bad as you think." Cinder tried to assure. "She's just a very... _formal_ person, and someone who's bad side you would _unquestionably_ want to stay off of."

"You ever have any contact with her?" Raven asked after taking another bite of her pita.

Cinder shook her head, her gaze slightly falling. "I haven't spoken to her since before the accident. She stood up for me at the trial... in her own way... but after that... nothing. Like everyone else."

A grimace quickly found its way onto Raven's face. "So she's just another piece of shit that abandoned you then."

Cinder blinked, not expecting the reaction. "What?"

"Well you worked directly under her for _six_ years, and like you said she defended you at your trial, yet she just _ditches_ you after it's all done?" Raven scowled. "I don't know about you but to me that's a pretty shitty thing to do."

Cinder opened her mouth to respond, but could not find the words. As much as she wanted to defend Salem, she was unable to. It was true that her former boss had done a fair amount for her - trusting her with running the entire engineering department for one - but in the end, she was only that; her boss. Her _employer_. Out of all the years Cinder knew her, they never talked about their personal lives, never saw each other outside of work - at least intentionally - hell, she never even invited her over for dinner. As much as she did want to admit it, Raven was right. Just like everyone else in her life, Salem had abandoned her.

"I suppose that's true..." Cinder mumbled.

A few minutes passed by in silence, as the pair simply went back to eating their pitas. There were a couple times where Raven's gaze briefly shifted to Cinder - unbeknownst to the younger woman - but she never said anything, at least at first. Seemingly sensing her employee's downcast mood, she decided to change the subject.

"So uh, how'd you find the session?" Raven wondered.

"It was... _surprising_." Cinder answered after a moment of thought. "I thought Glynda would be... _intrusive_... but she did no such thing today... Instead she merely asked questions about my situation and... what happened with the accident. Sure it was not exactly the _easiest_ thing to discuss, but in the end... there was no judging. She just... _listened_."

"Well, Glynda _is_ a licensed therapist after all." Raven noted. "She knows that in order to properly help you, she needs all the info first."

"Right..." Cinder acknowledged.

"Oh and speaking of getting all the info, since you didn't mention it in the session, how long have you been suffering from insomnia?" Raven asked.

"For as long as I can remember." Cinder informed with a sigh. "It only ever got better when I started dating. First it became less frequent when I was with Neo in high school, but it started back up once she broke up with me. Then... Then Emmy came around... and it was like I had been cured. Every morning I was able to wake up from a full night of sleep with her in my arms... I thought I would never have to deal with that bullshit again, but as you saw yesterday, that's not the case."

"I understand that."

Cinder blinked. "You... do?"

Raven nodded. "I've been suffering from that shit since high school. That's when I uh, started drinking a lot more than I should've."

"And... are there any ways you know how to deal with it?" Cinder wondered.

"Well aside from drinking, which was a terrible solution by the way, the only time I lived without it was during... my last serious relationship." Raven explained, unable to meet her employee's curious gaze. "When I was with them... it was like I never had it at all. Every night I was able to sleep soundly." Then she sighed. "At least I could... until I learned that she never loved me..."

 _Wait... what_? "How... were you with someone that didn't love you?" Cinder inquired.

"Oh, right. It wasn't just me and her, there was a man too. It was a uh... polyamorous relationship if I'm not getting that wrong." Raven informed. "It sounds a little complicated I know, and honestly it kinda was, but to put it simply; I loved both of them, the guy loved both of us, but she... only loved him. We tried to make it work, but as you could probably guess, it didn't."

"That's... unfortunate." Cinder mumbled. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that... I know how difficult it can be to love someone who doesn't love you back."

"Well, what happened happened. No sense crying it over it now." Raven grumbled.

Cinder did not end up responding, but she got the feeling there was much more to that story than Raven was letting on.

And thus ended their less than pleasant conversation. Once the two had finished their pitas, Raven collected the trash and deposited it into a nearby trashcan before returning to take Cinder home. The ride was spent in slightly awkward silence until they arrived at her apartment. Once the car had come to a stop and she had unbuckled her seat belt, she turned to the older woman.

"I... I realize it wasn't exactly easy to get me to see Glynda, and I'm still unsure of what I think about it... but... thank you, for everything."

Raven offered a small smile. "Don't worry about it. We all need a little help sometimes."

 _That we do_. Cinder thought to herself. Bidding farewell to her boss, she exited the vehicle and made her way up to her apartment, where after stripping off her clothes, she promptly flopped down onto her bed, not even bothering with putting on pajamas. Her bed might be cheap and lumpy, but Cinder was tired enough to not give a shit. It was good enough.

It was time for bed.

* * *

Lying awake on her lumpy mattress, there was one thing going through Cinder's mind:

 _Fuck you insomnia._

Normally waking up in the middle of the night was not _all_ bad - all things considered - as at least it served as a reminder that the nightmares were not real, but unfortunately that was not the case on this particular night. No, tonight she had been woken up from a dream that was actually rather... _nice_ , albeit a tad strange. What made it worse was that Cinder was never one to remember a large number of her dreams - even the nightmares - so the fact she could recall the one that had just been interrupted was quite irritating.

It started with Cinder opening her eyes, finding herself in a park, sitting on a lawn chair under an umbrella. At first it was nothing special. She had dreamt of similar _pre-accident_ situations many times before, so being able to see herself without the burns was no surprise. The surprise came when she looked over and saw her boss sitting in another chair next to her. Not Salem, not any of her previous bosses, but her _current_ boss. The strangest part was not even having Raven in her dream - Cinder imagined it would happen sooner or later - it was the fact that she was there all while the younger woman's burns were not. Then it got even stranger when Raven looked over at her and... _smiled_. It was not a tired smile, nor a half smile, but a full smile. A _bright_ smile. She looked rather pretty, though that did not make it any less weird. If Cinder did not know it was a dream before, she _definitely_ did then.

But of course, that was not all.

When Cinder turned back to face forward, she was greeted with another... _interesting_ sight, or rather a _couple_ interesting sights. The first came in the form of a volleyball game that pitted two couples against each other - Vernal and Weiss, and Yang and Neo. Vernal and Yang certainly looked like they were much more into it than the other two - they did seem like fairly competitive individuals - but everyone was still having fun. She watched the blonde score another point before her girlfriend quickly jumped into her arms, meeting her in a loving kiss. It honestly made Cinder smile, as she hoped their _out-of-dream_ relationship was at least a bit like that.

While the sight of the two couples _battling it out_ was quite amusing, there was another view that Cinder was able to see was a bit more... _bizarre_. On the other side of the small field she found Nora flying kites with two people she _absolutely_ did not expect to see with the redhead: Ruby and Pyrrha. Even though it did not exactly make Cinder _happy_ to see those two in her dream, her... _dream self_ seemed perfectly fine with it. She even smiled and waved, as if she was just as good of friends with them as she was with Nora. It was... _odd_ , to be able to look at that pair without any ire. But seeing Nora with them... it actually made Cinder realize something; out of all the time she had spent with the redhead, she could not recall her ever mentioning any sort of other friends or even acquaintances that were not _clients_ of hers. Maybe she could introduce her to the people at the bar sometime.

As memories of her dream continued to fill her mind, Cinder could not help but think about how nice it was to see them all so... _relaxed_ , like none of their real-life problems mattered. She wished it could be real, their little... _family outing_ type situation. But unfortunately that was not the case. It was merely a figment of her imagination. For now, Cinder needed to get back to sleep. She had work tomorrow after all. Or... maybe it was today. So she pulled out her scroll to check.

 **2:07 AM**

 _Guess I have work today_. Cinder thought to herself. _And also a text from... Yang_? The text was dated just over half an hour ago, but still... what exactly did she want this early in the morning?

 **Yang** : _Ignore this if it woke you, I don't wanna be a bother, but just in case you're already awake, I need someone to talk to. Can't sleep._

Cinder just blinked, unsure of how she should respond to the unexpected text. Something seemed... _off_ about it. Ever since meeting her, Yang had always worn such a bright smile, had such a cheerful attitude - rivaling that of even Nora - but even the one message... it lacked all of that. Cinder could only wonder, had something happened? Was that why the blonde had the day off? No... that could not be it. Yang was just... tired. Perhaps from a party, late night clubbing, or something similar. It was two in the morning after all. So she typed out a response.

 **Cinder** : _If you haven't fallen asleep yet, I could use the company as well._

Surprisingly enough, Cinder actually received a response only a few minutes later. And it looked... a bit better than the previous one.

 **Yang** : _No Nora this evening? ;)_

Cinder got the feeling she was going to regret telling her about that.

 **Cinder** : _She does not spend every night here Yang._

 **Yang** : _I know I know, just making sure I'm not interrupting anything._

 **Cinder** : _I assure you, you're not. Just a woman who woke up from a dream._

 **Yang** : _Was it a nightmare?_

 **Cinder** : _Surprisingly not. It was actually quite pleasant. I wish I could go back to it._

 **Yang** : _I know that feeling pretty well. What was it about?_

 **Cinder** : _Well it started like many others have, without my injuries. I found myself in a park, sitting under an umbrella, but rather than seeing people from my past, I saw everyone from the bar, Nora, Weiss, even Ruby and Pyrrha as they are now. It was interesting to say the least. Raven and I were sitting together, Nora was flying kites with Ruby and Pyrrha, and you and Neo were playing volleyball against Weiss and Vernal. I watched you score a point, and Neo jumped into your arms to kiss you. Everyone looked so happy, like there were no issues plaguing our minds._

 **Yang** : _Sounds nice._

There it was again. No cheer whatsoever. Cinder hoped that was merely the fatigue.

 **Cinder** : _Are you alright Yang?_

The other woman did not respond immediately. In fact, several minutes passed with no reply. Maybe she fell asleep. Placing her scroll back onto the bed, Cinder went to pull the covers up to try to get back to sleep, but then the device buzzed once more. Opening the message, Cinder saw it was only three words.

 **Yang** : _Neo dumped me._

Cinder stared at the text, not knowing how exactly to respond. She knew for a fact that Neo was not exactly the _romantic_ type, so hearing Yang was dating her came as quite the shock - especially considering what she was like when Cinder was with her. Back when they were in high school, it was the _Queen Bee_ and the _little crazy girl_. They fucked around for a few months until Neo became... _disinterested_. Cinder then had to face the fact that she had developed feelings for the younger woman that were not being reciprocated. Then when given an ultimatum, Neo left without a second thought. Now she knew someone that might have gone through something similar, and she did not warn her... Even though she should have.

Cinder sighed. This was not a topic that should be discussed over text. She much preferred verbal communication anyway, as she did not quite understand the obsession some people had with texting. Instead of responding, Cinder navigated to Yang's contact and tapped the _Call Mobile_ button. She only had to listen to the ringing tone a single time before the call was answered.

There was a slight pause. " _Uh, hello_?" Came Yang's soft voice, barely even audible.

"Hi Yang." Cinder greeted, not as quietly but still fairly hushed. "I apologize for calling, but I didn't really want to have this kind of conversation through texting."

" _Oh, okay. That's cool._ " Yang acknowledged. " _But just an FYI, I'm at Ruby and Pyrrha's place, and they're kinda both asleep, so I gotta keep my voice as low as I can._ "

"Of course, but why are you there?" Cinder asked.

" _I uh, after Neo left me, I sorta... fell apart._ " Yang explained. " _I got super drunk, ended up texting Ruby... She and Pyrrha came over pretty soon after. We talked for a bit, and they invited me to stay here_."

"Is that why you took the day off?" Cinder added.

" _Yeah._ " The blonde confirmed. " _I was gonna come in, but Ruby made me stay home._ "

A slight smile found its way onto Cinder's face, even though the other woman could not see it. "Ever the caring one isn't she."

Yang let out an especially soft chuckle. " _Yeah, that's my sis._ "

There was a brief pause before Cinder spoke again. "If you don't mind my asking, what... happened with Neo?"

A quiet sigh could be heard from the other end of the line. " _Well which version do you want_?" Yang wondered. " _The short one or the long one_?"

"Whichever one you're most comfortable with sharing." Cinder shrugged, to which she quickly realized the younger woman was unable to see her actions. She did not speak to people on her scroll very often anymore.

" _Short version it is then._ " Yang informed. " _We'd usually get together every week or so for our dates... or sex sessions more like... We never really went on proper dates... Anyways, a couple days ago was one of those times, but she never texted me to come over like she normally would. So I decided to just head over anyway. Then when I got there, she was... with someone else... Ended up just shutting the door in my face_..."

The moment those words registered was when Cinder knew for certain that she should have warned Yang. Neo had never cheated on her when they were together, but her eyes were always... _wandering_. She looked at dozens of men and other women, but she never actually did anything. At least not alone. During their time together, Neo was always one for experimenting, be it with positions, toys, or... other partners. Even though Cinder never objected to any of it, having to share her girlfriend with another person did not feel... _right_. But at least it helped her learn something about herself; polyamorous relationships were not for her. Though this was not about Cinder, this was about Yang.

"I'm so sorry..." Cinder mumbled.

" _You don't gotta be_." Yang assured. " _Just weren't meant to be is all. Should've made my expectations clearer..._ "

"No, it's... I should have warned you about her... what she was like back in high school..." Cinder clarified.

" _What do you mean_?" Yang asked.

Cinder took a deep breath. "When we were together, I thought she cared for me, as I did for her... but sadly that was not the case. To her, I was little more than a... _joyride_... and just like you I fell apart after she left me." She sighed. "Yang, I can't apologize enough for not telling you about my history with Neo, as your current situation could have been avoided if I had..."

A few moments passed without a response from the blonde, and Cinder began to think she fell asleep.

" _Maybe, but maybe not_." Yang finally murmured. " _Even if you did tell me, I'm not the sharpest tool when it comes to relationships. Sure I wanted a little more, but I liked what we had... even though it wasn't that much to begin with. It was just... nice to have someone to be with every once in a while ya know_?"

"Yeah... I do." Cinder acknowledged, knowing exactly how the younger woman felt. Being friends with Nora had really shown her just how beneficial someone's semi-regular presence in her life could be, while having been with Neo showed her how much it hurt when someone she cared about suddenly left. Unfortunately, as much as Cinder wanted to help Yang, but was unsure how. She did not feel like she knew her well enough to properly help her. Although... there were a couple people she knew that _could_ be of some assistance. Or at least one person... depending on how open the younger woman was.

"Hey Yang?"

 _"Yeah?"_

"Would you like to meet Nora?" Cinder offered.

There was a slight pause. _"As in your escort friend?"_

"That's the one." Cinder confirmed. "Now I'm not sure when it would be, as her work keeps her quite... _busy_ , but I'm sure I could convince her to visit the bar sometime."

Another pause. " _You're not trying to set me up with her are you_?" Yang wondered. _"Cause aren't you two... involved?"_

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "I'm not trying to set you two up Yang. I just think she's the type of person you could benefit from being around right now."

" _Benefit from being around huh_?" Yang echoed, likely with a grin on her face.

"That is what I said." Cinder answered.

" _Could be interesting._ " Yang commented before letting out a rather large yawn.

That reminded Cinder; it was nearly three in the morning. Both of them ought to be sleeping. "Sounds to me like we should turn in for the night."

" _Yeah... that's probably a good idea._ " Yang agreed. _"It was nice talking to you Cinder... and thanks."_

Cinder raised her brow, which she realized the younger woman could not see. "Thanks?"

" _For giving me someone to talk to at this hour._ " Yang clarified. _"It was nice."_

A smile found its way onto Cinder's face. "I'm glad I could help."

" _We should text more often._ " Yang suggested. _"Feels nice to have someone else to talk to outside of work."_

"I'd like that." Cinder smiled.

" _Well, if I'm at work tomorrow, I'll see you there. But if not, I'll try to text ya._ " Yang promised. _"Night Cinder."_

"Goodnight Yang."

Unfortunately once Cinder hung up, she realized she actually had to try to get back to sleep now. _Great._

* * *

It took a couple days, but Yang was finally ready to go out, and for the first time in quite a long while, she was actually nervous.

Most of the day was spent much like the last two - hanging around, watching television, surfing the internet, even a bit of texting Cinder - but once Ruby and Pyrrha were home from work and the trio had eaten dinner, it was time to get ready for their night out. Thankfully Ruby had taken Yang back to her own place the other day to grab some clothes and toiletries - alongside Bumblebee, in case she wanted to go out of her own accord. Sure the one suitcase did not offer the most _expansive_ collection, it was still enough. But before that, it was time to do something she had not properly done in several days: _shower_. So she grabbed her little travel bag, headed into the guest bathroom, and hopped in.

After Yang had done enjoying the initial feeling of the hot water cascading down her back, it was onto her first task; shaving - as she had not done so since Friday. She did not bother being as thorough as usual, considering she had no one to impress, but still did a general _everyday_ kind of shave. Next it was onto washing her hair and body - which was something she _certainly_ needed, since Yang had not exactly been the most... _hygienic_ person since being brought to this apartment. She was likely not _smelly_ , but she was also definitely not clean.

Once Yang was finished, out of the shower and smelling _great_ , it was back to the guest bedroom to find a nice outfit to wear - or at least something that could compare to Ruby and Pyrrha. No matter how good she thought she looked, those two always looked better. Then she sighed. _Stop thinking like that. Tonight is supposed to be fun_. Walking over to the end of the bed, Yang knelt down and flipped open her overnight bag. She pulled out several articles of clothing, but nothing really... _stood out_ to her. Within a few minutes, her bag was practically empty, most of its contents now on the floor. _Great._

Then came a knock at the door.

"Yang?" She heard Ruby call. "You almost ready?"

The blonde sighed. "I'm uh, having a little trouble picking out something to wear."

"Want any help?" Ruby offered.

"Sure." Was not exactly the answer Yang _wanted_ to give, as her sister had done so much already within the past few days, but fuck it. She did not want to spend all night failing to pick something out. As the door quietly squeaked open, she heard a sigh.

"Could've at _least_ put your pajamas back on after getting out of the shower." Ruby groaned as she walked into the room and sat on the bed.

Yang paused for a moment, looking down to realize she had indeed forgotten to get re-dressed, and was currently in nothing but a towel. She managed a smirk. "Well it's not like you haven't seen any of this before."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean I wanna see it now though."

"Aw, afraid you'll be too _captivated_ by it?" Yang faux-leered. "That I'll have to talk to Pyrrha about you gawking at another woman?"

"You think Pyrrha and I haven't looked at other women before?" Ruby arched her brow. "We've talked a _bunch_ of times about other women! And even looked at some together. It's actually more fun than I thought. There was even one time we talked about Weiss!" That caused Yang to raise a brow. Ruby grinned, cheeks tinting pink. "Pyrrha thinks she would look beautiful... _bent low_ if you catch my drift, then she teased me for how flustered I got."

Surprised as she was, Yang still let out a chuckle. "Leave it to you to get embarrassed over a conversation with your wife about bending another woman over."

Ruby just pouted. "I'm gonna kick you out if you don't shut it. It's my apartment, I can do that!"

"You _could_ , but you won't." Yang grinned, to which her sister just continued to pout. "Just get over here and help me."

With a huff, Ruby hopped off the bed and joined Yang at the center of the pile of clothes. "So is there anything you've got you eye on?"

Yang thought for a moment, looking around at the various articles around them. "I want something that says... I'm not loose, but my boundaries aren't harsh!"

"So... hot with a dash of slutty?" Ruby wondered with a smirk.

" _Slutty_?" Yang gasped. "When have _I_ ever dressed slutty?"

"Halloween last year, Halloween the year before that, Halloween the year before _that_..." Ruby started.

"That's cheating! I _have_ to dress slutty on Halloween!" Yang tried to justify. "Besides, I still wear more clothes than your wife."

Ruby let out a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure _everyone_ wears more clothes than Pyrrha on Halloween, since she always wears those near-nude costumes and all."

"Ah yes, ever the exhibitionist that one." Yang added.

"I mean she's not quite an _exhibitionist_ , she just loves the _expression of the female form_ as she puts it." Ruby explained. "Did I ever tell you about the time when she convinced me to go to a nude beach while we were on our honeymoon?"

"Several times." Yang informed. "You told me before you two went, while you were there, when you returned to your hotel, and of course during your _Honeymoon slideshow_ when you came home."

"Which was where you decided it would be completely appropriate to comment on how _incredible_ my wife's naked ass looked." Ruby reminded.

"Hey, not my fault you had a fully nude picture of Pyrrha in there." Yang defended.

"It wasn't my idea!" Ruby shot back. "She said we should include something from that day!"

"And we all thank you for giving us that wonderful image of her glorious ass." Yang smirked.

Ruby sighed. "You're lucky she took it as a compliment _while_ in front of our families."

"I'm lucky in a lot of places Rubes." Yang smiled. "Now come on, let's pick something before your wife starts getting impatient."

"You know she has _endless_ patience." Ruby chuckled as the two got back to looking.

Thankfully it did not take _too_ long, but eventually they were able to find a suitable outfit for Yang, consisting of a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, one of her favourite yellow tank tops - it had an orange flaming heart in the centre - and a black leather jacket. Grabbing the items - as well as a set of black underwear - and promising she would not be long, the blonde headed into the guest bathroom to get ready. After she was dressed, it was onto her makeup. Yang did not really feel like putting on anything special, so she just went with the usual purple eye shadow. Once that was applied, she took a final look at herself in the mirror, and actually managed a smile. This was the best she had looked in _days_.

"Lookin' good sis!" Ruby praised as Yang exited the bathroom and joined her and Pyrrha in the main area of the apartment.

"Right back at ya!" Yang grinned, complete with finger guns. She had not even noticed it before, but the other two women looked quite good as well. Ruby was clad in a red off-shoulder blouse and a pair of faded blue jeans, while her wife was wearing an embellished halter top and black skinny jeans. They looked so good that Yang almost started to feel self conscious from being around them.

"Are we all ready?" Pyrrha inquired. Both Ruby and Yang smiled and gave their respective _thumbs ups_. "Wonderful. Is there any preference on where we go this evening?"

Ruby turned her gaze to her sister. "Anywhere you wanna go?"

Yang thought for a moment. "I mean Junior's is always a safe bet."

"Sounds good to me!" Ruby agreed.

"Then Junior's it is." Pyrrha smiled. "Will you be joining us in Miló for the ride over? Or would you rather take Bumblebee?"

"I think I'll take Bumblebee." Yang replied. "I could use the fresh air."

"Very well." Pyrrha acknowledged.

Something told Yang her sister-in-law would rather have her with them, but she decided against pursuing that suspicion. Instead that was the end of the conversation. Yang donned her riding boots and grabbed her helmet while Ruby and Pyrrha put on their shoes, and the trio headed out.

While it was a fairly short ride over to the club, it was still nice to have the time completely to herself. The rumble of her bike's engine, the wind blowing past her, it was all so... _peaceful_ , even with all the other cars around her. Sadly that peace did not last as long as she would have liked, as soon enough she was pulling into the clubs parking lot behind Miló. Though that did not mean Yang was _unhappy_ , since before long, she would be having fun on the dance floor of a club she had not been to in quite a while. Neo never wanted to go out with her, and it felt a bit weird going to _Junior's_ alone while she was involved with someone. But that was not the case anymore. She was now single and ready to... not necessarily mingle, but rather just enjoy herself. Once she and Pyrrha had found spots for their respective vehicles, they parked and met up as they approached the sizable building.

While the trio walked through the parking lot, Yang felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Pyrrha staring at her, holding a... condom, which caused her to raise a brow.

"I know tonight is about us spending some time out together, but in case you find yourself in the company of a male companion, it never hurts to be safe." Pyrrha explained.

Taking the condom from her sister-in-law, Yang stuffed it in her back pocket. "Thanks Pyr, but why do you even _have_ it?" She wondered. "You have a female spouse that isn't really attracted to men, and you two aren't polyamorous, at least the last time I checked... are you two poly now?"

"No Yang, we aren't polyamorous." Pyrrha chuckled. "But when you have single friends, some of whom are straight or bisexual, it helps to keep some handy."

 _Wait a second_. Yang leaned forward to look at her sister. "Has your wife been getting people laid?"

"Nah, she's just making sure everyone stays safe." Ruby clarified. " _I'm_ the matchmaker of this marriage."

"Who have _you_ ever matched?" Yang challenged, barely withholding her laughter.

"Lots of people!" Ruby claimed, prompting Yang to look to Pyrrha for the real answer.

"She has _tried_ to match several people, but sadly with little success." Pyrrha informed, to which her wife proceeded to pout.

"Traitor!"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Yang burst out laughing. Of course Ruby just continued to pout, especially when Pyrrha joined her in laughter as they approached the clubs front entrance.

"Guess that means no wing-woman for you." Ruby grumbled.

"Like I'd need your help." Yang smirked at Ruby before pulling the front door open for her and her wife. They both thanked her - the former more mumbled than the latter - and the trio entered the club.

Once inside, the first thing Yang noticed was how loud the music was - which of course was not a _bad_ thing, it was just... _unfamiliar_. After spending so long away from this place - and the whole _party scene_ in general thanks to Neo - it was nice to be back. As the three women made their way through the main area, Yang drank in the scenery. The mostly good music, the neon and strobe lighting, the crowds of people... she missed this. Luckily it was not _too_ busy, due to it being a week night, but there were still a fair amount of patrons filling the area. An empty club was boring, but an overcrowded one was just a pain - and not just from the number of people. There had been a number of instances where Yang had gotten her ass grabbed or breasts touched in a jam-packed club, which sucked, but it also meant she had a completely valid reason to punch some asshole or bitch in the face. So that was at least nice.

After making it through the crowds, the trio split up. Yang and Ruby headed to the bar to get some drinks, while Pyrrha went to find them a table, as she merely wanted a glass of water, having no intention of drinking alcohol tonight.

Upon approaching the large granite counter, the closest bartender - Junior himself - offered a smile. "Hey there blondie." He greeted. "Haven't seen you around here for a while."

Yang hoped he would not have noticed her absence. "Well uh, when the lady isn't much of a club gal, there's not much you can do."

Junior let out a chuckle. "You got that right." Then his gaze briefly shifted to Ruby before moving back to Yang. "But at least you got her out now, so it's not all bad."

Yang furrowed her brow. What did he mean by that? Neo had dumped her days ago, and the only person he saw her with today was Ruby... _Wait a second_. "Oh! No no, this isn't her. We uh, broke up recently. This is my sister Ruby. She and her wife are hangin' out with me tonight."

Junior's smile faded a bit. "Ah, sorry to hear that. But it's good to have you back. Tell you what, first round's on the house."

"Aw thanks Junior!" Yang grinned. "I'll take a Whiskey Ember then!"

"And one Strawberry Sunrise for me!" Ruby added. "Oh, and a water for my wife."

"Comin' right up." Junior noted before turning to start preparing the drinks.

Once the pair received their beverages, they gave their thanks to Junior and headed into the lounge to find Pyrrha. Fortunately their search was a fairly quick one, as they soon spotted her in one of the several empty booths near the edge of the area. She waved them over and the two slid into the booth - Ruby first, then Yang. For a brief time, the trio simply enjoyed their drinks, each other's company, and the atmosphere around them. Then as if by instinct, Yang began gazing around the area, looking to see if there were any _particularly interesting people_ nearby. She knew that was not their purpose for being there, but it also would be nice to not just be a bit of a third wheel to Ruby and Pyrrha.

Then Yang saw them. Two girls, _twins_... dancing together... having fun. Both of them had straight black hair and seemed to be the same height, which did not bode well for her being able to tell them apart. _Well, at least their hair styles were different_. One had hers at shoulder-length, and the other had hers at waist-length. They were both wearing denim short shorts, but one of them paired them with a white singlet top, black thigh highs, and what looked like black ankle boots, while the other had a crimson sheer blouse and dark brown mid-calf boots. Even from a distance, Yang could tell they were absolutely gorgeous... and the way they danced... it was damn near hypnotic. At one point she could have sworn the one in white noticed her staring at them, because after that, their movements... _changed_ , becoming more suggestive in nature. The two grew closer, their hands beginning to roam along each other's bodies as they- _Oh my gods now they're grinding_. If Yang did not have the level of self control that she did, her mouth would have dropped open. Though she could not say the same about the heat starting to build in her core. She must have spent close to five minutes just watching them, which was when the others at her table seemed to take notice.

"What are you looking at Yang?" Pyrrha suddenly asked, snapping her sister-in-law out of her trance.

Ruby scooted closer to her sister, trying to see what had caught her eye. "I think she found a hot girl to stare at."

"Better." Yang clarified before briefly turning back to look at Ruby. " _Twins_."

"Twins huh? Well are you gonna go talk to them or just stick to staring?" Ruby wondered with a slight smirk.

"I uh, I will." Yang tried to assure, keeping her gaze locked on the twins in question. _Damn those two are hot_. She could likely spend all night just ogling their asses alone.

"When? Next week?" Ruby challenged.

"Just... give me a few minutes." Yang answered, taking a sip from her spicy beverage. She was not quite ready yet.

Ruby sighed. "If you say that, you'll never go over there."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but she knew her sister was correct. She _said_ she would go in a few minutes, but that likely would not have happened. A few minutes would lead to a few more minutes, which would lead to a few _more_ , then sooner or later, they would be gone... and Yang would have lost her chance due to mere hesitation. No... She was not going to let that happen.

"You're right Rubes." Yang smiled before standing from her seat, picking up her drink, and downing it, really putting a fire in her stomach. "If I don't come back, it means I've checked off one of my boxes." She added with a wink as she headed off.

Once the blonde had departed, Pyrrha looked to her wife. "She's going to try to have sex with them both isn't she?"

Ruby laughed. "Oh she _definitely_ is."

As Yang made her way out of the lounge and onto the dance floor, she kept telling herself one thing. _Deep breaths_. It had been quite some time since she had met someone new like this - or in this case _multiple_ someones - and it was a little nerve-wracking if she was being honest. _You can do this_. She told herself. _All you gotta do it walk up to them and- Wait, where'd they go_? Yang looked around the area, through the various crowds of people, but the pair was nowhere to be found. Which was... weird. They were right in front of her a second ago, but... now they were gone. It caused her shoulders to slump. Maybe it just was not meant to be. But... that was okay. Spending the night with Ruby and Pyrrha would not be so bad. So she turned around to head back, and found a sight she was _certainly_ not expecting to see: the twins standing right in front of her, identical smirks on their faces.

"Hey there blondie." The one in white greeted.

"Enjoy the show?" The one in red asked.

"I uh..." Yang started, then she realized something. "Wait, you knew I was watching?"

"Was hard not to notice a hot blonde chick staring right at us." The twin in red commented. "We thought you were gonna start drooling at some point."

 _So they put on that little show just for me_... A grin found its way onto Yang's face. _Time to use that famous Xiao-Long charm then_. "I mean the way you were dancing sure did surprise me, but it's gonna take more than that to make _me_ drool."

The twin in white quirked a brow. "Is that so?"

Yang kept her grin strong as best she could. "That's right."

"Well then, how about you come join us in the private lounge?" The Twin in red offered. "See if we can... get to know each other."

 _Oh wow that actually worked_. "I like the sound of that." Yang hummed.

The twins briefly looked at each other before their eyes refocused on Yang. "Try to keep up." They requested... at the same time, which was a bit creepy, but with their tone... it was also kind of sexy.

Following the pair off the dance floor, Yang found herself being led towards the back of the lounge, where they were met by a bouncer that stood in front of a staircase. They told him she was with them, and the three women were allowed through. As they ascended the stairs, Yang had to admit, this was pretty cool. She had heard there was a private lounge in this club, but had never laid eyes upon it before. It was exciting.

Once they arrived at the top, the twins continued walking, while Yang had to stop just to admire the area, because... _wow_. Black tile floor, various dark red leather chairs and couches surrounding glass coffee tables, a circular bar at the far end of the room, and a balcony that seemed to overlook the rest of the club - as she could hear the music that was playing in the main area. It was a real step up from downstairs - even though that was already nice. Maybe if this whole things works out, Yang could get the chance to come back here. If not... well she would still get to brag that she was able to see the _luxurious private lounge_.

"You comin' blondie?" One of the twins inquired from their seats on one of the leather couches. Yang was not quite sure which girl it was, as she was too busy admiring the area.

"Oh, yeah!" Yang answered with a smile. Quickly walking over to the occupied couch, she plopped down next to the twin in white.

"So, you got a name?" The twin in red wondered.

Yang blinked, only now realizing they did not know her name, nor did she know theirs. "Xiao-Long. _Yang_ Xiao-Long. And yourselves?"

"Melanie." The twin in white introduced.

"Militia." The twin in red followed.

"Well it's nice to properly meet ya." Yang smiled, to which the twins nodded. "I gotta say, the way you two were dancing earlier was... really somethin' else."

A slight smirk found its way onto Militia's face. "We've found it's a pretty effective way to tease people who're staring at us."

Yang let out a small chuckle. "You got that right. In fact if my sister-in-law hadn't snapped me out of it, I probably would've spent all night just watching."

"Guess you're lucky she did then." Militia noted.

"Otherwise you wouldn't be here." Melanie added.

"Very true." Yang acknowledged. "I'll be sure to thank her for giving me the chance to hang out with you two fine ladies." She grinned.

"Is hanging out _all_ you plan to do here?" Melanie wondered, slightly narrowing her eyes.

Yang shrugged. "Depends on where the night takes us. We could just end up staying here and talking, having a nice time and stuff. Or who knows, I could end up taking you both home." She made sure to wink for emphasis.

Militia scoffed. "You couldn't _handle_ the both of us."

"Maybe, but there's a home cooked breakfast in it for ya." Yang offered.

Melanie quirked a brow. "You expect to win a threesome with _food?"_

"I mean, it's really good food." Yang assured.

"Even if it is, there's no way either of us is going home with someone we just met." Militia informed. "For all we know you could be a criminal."

"Well what do you _wanna_ know?" Yang inquired. "I'm a pretty open book with most things. Though before you ask, _no_ , I'm not a criminal. Only law I've ever broken is speeding." She merely received a nod from the twin in red.

"Are you a cook or something?" Militia asked.

 _Getting right into it I see_. "As cool as that'd be, nah. I'm working at a bar not too far from here." Yang clarified. "It's my mom's bar actually."

"Where do you live?" Melanie inquired.

 _Man this feels a bit like an interview_. "Well I've got my own apartment. It's not the biggest place around, but it's home."

"What do you drive?" Melanie continued.

"Motorcycle." Yang answered with a smile. "I call her _Bumblebee_." Sadly that did not warrant the best response.

Militia raised a brow. "Seems pretty childish to name your vehicle."

Yang let out a chuckle. "Aw come on, you're telling me you've _never_ wanted to name your car?" To which she received no reply, causing her gaze to fall slightly. "Guess not..." What followed was a few moments of silence, which made Yang wonder she had just screwed things up for herself. She sure hoped not. Then the next question came, and it was one she hoped would not be brought up - the topic was not exactly one she wanted to talk about right now.

"Tell us about your love life. Is this a regular thing or a... _special occasion_?" Melanie asked.

As much as she did not really want to, Yang thought for a moment, wondering how exactly she should go about describing it. She had only been in one proper relationship in high school, with a guy named Sage. He was cool, and they had a good thing going, but sadly it did not last due to Yang becoming... _distracted_ after Blake confessed to her. They had tried to keep their relationship on track, but it was no use. That confession was the first time she had ever thought of Blake as more than her best friend, and it ended up destroying her relationship with Sage. Then after that she pined for Blake for the remainder of their time in high school, even though she had gotten with Sun before Yang was even single... Maybe deep down she hoped they would break up... as horrible as the thought was. Then after they graduated and those two left for Menagerie, the only thing Yang had that was even close to a proper relationship was the occasional fling. Sure they were fun and all, but they always left her feeling... _empty_.

Then she met Neo, and suddenly she did not feel so empty anymore.

It happened at a party. Yang was doing her best to socialize - as by that point she had become quite the loner - and some guy had started flirting with her. It was nice having someone take a semi-genuine interest in her again, though it was short lived. And that was not a bad thing. It turned out Neo had been watching her for a while, and when she noticed someone else flirting with her, she decided to take the blonde for herself. And so Yang went home with her, they spent a... somewhat intense night together, and thus began their relationship. If one could even call it that.

"Hey, Remnant to blondie." Came Militia's voice, pulling Yang from her thoughts. "You gonna answer at some point? Or are you just gonna keep staring off into space?"

Yang blinked, realizing she had just been sitting there while the twins stared at her. "Oh, yeah, sorry." She mumbled. "I uh, I've been in a couple real relationships, but they weren't exactly serious. Other than that it's just been flings here and there."

"So was your most recent connection only that? A _fling_? Or was it one of those _real_ ones?" Melanie inquired.

"It was a real one." Yang answered. "Or at least I thought it was..."

"What do you mean by that?" Melanie pressed.

Yang sighed. "I... thought what we had was more than it actually was. One day I go over there to see about going out on a nice date, and I... found her with someone else." She then let out a sad chuckle. "Guess I was nothing more than a booty call to her..."

Another few moments of silence followed, until Militia spoke up. "So what happened after that?"

 _Damnit_. Yang hoped she would not have to go into detail. "Well I uh, went home and drank a bunch..." She noticed both twins narrow their eyes, which only served to make her feel worse about it. "I know it wasn't the best way to handle things, but it at least helped for a little while. That is until I drunk-texted my sister, causing her and her wife to come over and check on me. After that they took me to their apartment, and I've been staying there for the past few days."

"So if one of us were to go with you, we'd be going to _someone else's_ apartment?" Melanie questioned.

"No no! I have my bike with me, so we'd be going to my place." Yang clarified. "Or yours, depending on which you'd prefer... I don't really mind either way."

Once again, the twins briefly looked at one another before turning back to the blonde. "Can you excuse us for a sec?" Militia wondered.

"Oh, yeah of course."

And with that the twins stood from their seats before heading over towards the bar, which was where they spoke for several minutes. It made Yang wonder what exactly they were talking about. Were they talking about who was going to go with her? Or whether she was even worth the time? Or maybe... they were discussing ways to get rid of her... Whatever it was, she just hoped it was not that last one. If Yang was being honest, she thought things were going at least _fairly_ well, but... perhaps that was not the case at all. She sighed. _Guess I'll just have to wait and see_.

There were several times where the twins looked back at Yang - which only served to make her more nervous - but thankfully their talk did not last _too_ long. After seemingly coming to a decision on... whatever they were talking about, Melanie came back to join the blonde, while Militia stayed back at the bar, just... watching them. Yang really hoped she was not about to be kicked out of the private lounge.

"So it's cool if we do this at your place?" Melanie wondered.

Yang blinked. Did she hear that correctly? She was not just hearing what she wanted to hear... right? _Well you should probably answer the woman at some point, 'cause she's kinda staring at you_. "I, uh... sure, yeah, that sounds great." yang stammered, managing a smile. _Really puttin' that Xiao-Long charm to use_. Melanie smirked in response. It made the her happy knowing she did not screw this up.

"Then let's go blondie."

* * *

Weiss awoke to the sound of a scroll rattling against the wood of her bedside table. Someone was calling her.

With her face still buried in pillows, she reached over to her night stand, fumbling for the device, wanting to cease the noise. _Where is that wretched piece of technology_?! Eventually locating it, she shifted onto her side and opened her eyes to check who was causing this annoying buzzing... and promptly being blinded by the screen. She silently cursed herself for forgetting to dim the brightness the prior night. After adjusting it, Weiss was clearly able to see who was attempting to contact her, and it was... _Winter_? What was she doing calling her at... _two in the morning?_

Sitting up and tapping the _Accept_ button, Weiss raised the scroll to her ear. " _Hello_?" She managed before letting out a yawn.

"Good morning Weiss." Winter happily greeted. "I'm sorry for waking you, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday."

As she wiped the sleep from her eyes, a smile found its way to Weiss' face. That was right, it _was_ her birthday. She was now _twenty three_ years old. " _Thank you Winter, but why are you calling at this hour? Surely you haven't forgotten the time difference have you?"_

Winter let out a chuckle. "No I haven't forgotten. I was simply awake for work and thought it would be a nice idea to call you."

" _At two in the morning_?" Weiss wondered.

Winter sighed. "I realize it's not exactly the most _ideal_ option, but... I'm unsure if I would have gotten another chance to talk to you today."

 _Wait... that couldn't be right... Winter was flying out to Vale today to attend the party... wasn't she_? Weiss opened her mouth to ask what her sister meant, but then she heard her girlfriend begin to stir. Turning around, she watched Vernal roll over, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before looking up to glare at Weiss.

"Take that shit in the other room will ya? I'm tryin' to get some sleep here." Vernal grumbled before flipping onto her other side.

"Was that Vernal?" Winter asked.

" _It was_." Weiss confirmed before softly chuckling. " _I think you woke her up too_."

" _Damn right you did_." Vernal added, muffled by her pillow.

There was a short pause. "Oh, do tell her I apologize for that." Winter requested.

" _Of course_." Weiss nodded, even though her sister was unable to see it. " _Just give me a moment_." Putting the call on hold, she slipped the scroll into her pajama pants pocket before leaning down and planting a quick kiss on Vernal's cheek. " _Winter says she's sorry babe_." She only received a tired mutter in response.

Hopping out of bed, Weiss suppressed a hiss as her bare feet made contact with the cold wood floor. Having had nothing but hardwood and tiled floors back in Atlas, she really wished they had carpet, at least in the bedroom. Well, either that or she should stop forgetting to wear socks to bed on nights where they did not have sex. Vernal hated when she forgot to take them off, so much so that she made a _no socks or no sex_ rule. Weiss was not quite sure _why_ she hated them so much, but she was sure she had her reasons, so she went along with it.

After exiting the bedroom and closing the door as quietly as she could manage, Weiss made her way into the living area and plopped down on the couch, all without the lights on. Sure she _could_ turn them on, but she wanted there to be no chance of waking up her girlfriend again, because a tired Vernal is a grumpy Vernal. And a grumpy Vernal was not exactly a fun individual to be around. But with the lights off that should not be a problem, so long as she did not make too much noise.

Once she was settled, Weiss pulled her scroll free from her pocket and took the call off of hold. _"Winter?"_

"Still here."

Weiss breathed a small sigh of relief. There had been a few occasions in the past where Winter had to suddenly leave because of work, so she was happy she was still there. After all, she did not get to talk to her sister very often, and had only seen her once since moving to Vale due to her busy schedule. " _So... what exactly did you mean by you're not sure if you would've gotten the chance to talk to me again_?" Weiss asked.

Winter did not answer immediately, which somewhat worried the younger sibling. "I... will not be able to fly out to Vale for the party..." She confessed. "A few people were let go recently, and I've had to help make up for their absence, and..." She sighed. "I'm so sorry Weiss..."

Weiss' shoulders slumped, but she tried to stay positive. _"It's... it's okay Winter-"_

"No, it's not okay." Winter objected. "I promised you that I would attend your party, and I accepted the extra work, thinking I could get enough done before today... but I couldn't. I should've fought harder to ensure that I could take that day to visit you... and now I can no longer keep my promise..."

Weiss let out a small sigh of her own. Out of every person that would be attending her party, her sister was easily the one she was most excited about. This was supposed to be the day where after _months_ of only hearing about her, everyone would finally get to meet Weiss' _big sis_. And in turn Winter would properly meet the rest of her friends- no, the rest of her _family_. But... not anymore it seemed. Part of her wanted to blame her sister, but she knew that would not be right. Winter's job at the SDC was not exactly an easy one, and those bastards always found it necessary to constantly give _her_ more shit to handle. It was infuriating to hear about how her work not only practically destroyed her social life, but now was affecting her ability to visit her own sister.

" _Winter... I know this visit is important to you, it is for me as well, but it's not the end of the world if you can't make it_." Weiss assured.

"I am well aware of that, but this is your _birthday_." Winter stressed. "And I didn't want to miss it. Not again..."

That was right. She was unable to fly out for Weiss' birthday last year as well, unfortunately for very similar reasons. But that did not mean she never came, which gave Weiss an idea. " _Then we'll celebrate it another time_." She suggested. _"Once your work calms down a little bit, you can take some time off, and come for a proper visit, rather than for only a single day."_

There was another short pause. "Are you sure?"

" _I am_." Weiss confirmed. " _I don't mind waiting a little longer to see my sister. Plus this way I'll be able to spend more time with you, rather than just for the party._ "

"Very well." Winter accepted. "Then if I don't get the chance to call again today, happy birthday Weiss. And I love you."

A smile quickly spread across Weiss' face.

"I love you too."

* * *

Yang awoke to a cold bed, which... sadly she expected. She tried blindly fumbling around the bed for her companion, but she found her grasp wanting. It caused her to sigh. Slowly opening her eyes, she could see the sunshine dulling through her curtains, but as she suspected, Melanie was nowhere to be found. That was okay though. Maybe... maybe she had somewhere to be. Yang did not recall her mentioning anything about her employment, so perhaps that was it. At least she hoped it was... rather than her doing something wrong.

Pulling herself up and out of bed, Yang began picking up the clothes that had been tossed around the room the prior night. At first she only found her own, which was not surprising. Skinny jeans... check. Tank top... check. Leather jacket... check. Underwear... check and check. While she picked up her stuff, she also looked around to see if Melanie had left anything for her. A scroll number, some kind of note, hell even her panties - Ruby once told her that was actually something people do - _something_. Yang sighed once again as she leaned down to pick up her white singlet top off the floor- wait, what? She did not own a white singlet top, or _any_ singlet tops for that matter. Standing up, she held the article in her hands, wondering who it could belong to. Then it hit her. _This is Melanie's... And if her top's here... then she's gotta be here too... Well, unless she decided to leave without a shirt... or steal one of mine._

As if on que, Yang heard the sound of her bathroom toilet flushing, and smile suddenly spread across her face. _She's still here_. Then the blonde realize something. _And I'm still naked_. Throwing her dirty clothes into the hamper, she threw on a pair of fresh panties and a purple T-shirt before quickly heading to the kitchen. It was time to do what she did best... or pretty well, at least when compared to Pyrrha or Summer. _Still gotta talk to those two about doing another cooking contest_. Yang thought to herself as she began taking out ingredients and cooking utensils. Now hopefully Melanie wanted to stay for breakfast.

Just as Yang began preparing the meal, which consisted of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and sausages, she watched her companion emerge from the bathroom in only her underwear from the prior night - a white strapless bra and black tanga panties. Yang had not really gotten the chance to admire them the night before, but _hot damn_ did she look good. Once she saw that Melanie had noticed her staring, she smiled.

"Mornin'." Yang beamed.

"Hey." Melanie greeted as she approached the kitchen and leaned up against the counter.

"Sleep well last night?" Yang wondered, making sure to keep an eye on the cooking food.

"Well I would've if a _certain blonde oaf_ didn't constantly try to roll over onto me." Melanie deadpanned.

Yang froze. _Oh gods... I did mess this up_. "I... I'm really sorry, I didn't know I moved around so much... No one else has ever complained..."

Then a smirk made its way onto Melanie's face. "Relax blondie, I'm kidding. I slept fine."

Yang blinked. "You... you did?"

"Trust me, if you were keeping me up, I'd make sure you _knew it_." Melanie stressed.

After a moment Yang breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had not screwed this up. There was a chance she actually had something this time, so she had to make sure everything was _perfect_ , starting with breakfast. Well, technically it started last night when she met the twins - which went... well enough all things considered - but she had to ensure everything _today_ was perfect.

"So uh, you like anything extra in your eggs?" Yang asked as she returned her attention to the stove. "Salt, pepper, spinach, maybe some cheese?"

"Pepper's fine." Melanie answered.

"Oh, little _spicy_ , consider it done!" Yang smiled. "Why don't you get dressed while I cook? You can borrow one of my T-shirts if you don't wanna hang around in your clothes from last night."

Melanie shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass." She answered before turning to head back into the blonde's room.

 _Just because she didn't wanna wear your clothes, doesn't mean there's nothing here_. Yang told herself. _I'm sure you would've done the same thing_. She could only hope that was the case.

Once the food was just about ready, Yang took a quick glance behind her, hoping Melanie had returned, but... sadly she had not. It had been nearly twenty minutes... Was she _still_ getting dressed? No... no one could spent _that_ long simply putting on clothes. Maybe Yang should call out to her, make sure everything was alright. She briefly considered it, but ultimately decided against it, not wanting to give the impression that she was needy. Instead she chose to just finishing making breakfast. After that she would set the table, _then_ call Melanie, so long as she was not already back by then.

As Yang distributed the now-prepared food between a couple of plates, she smiled. _This was gonna be a perfect breakfast for a perfect day_. She could picture it now. First, they would enjoy a nice meal together, get to know each other some more... It would be like a mini date. After that they would spend some time together, maybe go out or something, depending on what Melanie felt like doing. Yang did not have a preference. Though unfortunately they would not be able to spend _all_ day together, as Weiss' birthday party was scheduled for later, and the blonde was quite excited. Not just because she was finally going to be able to give her friend the _super amazing_ present she bought for her, but because it allowed her to spend some actual quality time with her friends and family - and she would not miss it for the world.

Picking up the filled plates and grabbing the appropriate utensils and condiments, Yang slowly turned - being careful not to drop anything - and was met with a sight she was truly not expecting: Melanie casually sitting at her kitchen table, quietly using her scroll. It caused her to stop in her tracks. _How long has she been there_? Yang wondered to herself. Perhaps she just wanted her to able to focus on preparing the meal. Or maybe... she did not want to talk to her... Yang quickly shook that less-than-pleasant thought from her head, trying to assure herself that it was surely the former. Taking a quick breath, she managed a smile and continued walking towards the table.

"Bon Appetit!" Yang grinned, placing the two sets of food on the table - one in front of Melanie, and one across from her place where the blonde would sit.

Looking up from her phone, Melanie examined the breakfast in front of her. "Looks good blondie."

"Well I hope you like it!" Yang beamed. "You got any preference for a drink? I've got water, milk, orange juice, I _think_ apple juice, almond milk, though that's pretty much solely for my sister-in-law when she's over..."

"Water's fine." Melanie answered before picking up her utensils and beginning to eat, offering no feedback on how it actually tasted. With trying to stay optimistic, Yang just took that as a sign that the food was good. It must have been, considering she was eating the pancakes without anything on them - not even _syrup_.

Once Yang had gotten their beverages - water for Melanie as she requested, orange juice for herself - she returned to the table to begin eating. Upon taking the first bite of the scrambled eggs, her eyes widened in surprise. She knew she was a good cook, but these eggs alone were absolutely _delicious_. _I think I need to start cooking like I'm trying to impress a girl_. It really looked liked the idea of _the perfect breakfast_ was actually coming to fruition - at least depending on if the rest of the meal tasted as good as the eggs. Unfortunately _the perfect day_ did not seem to be working out as well. Not in the slightest.

Yang was planning to let Melanie just enjoy the meal for a short time, _then_ get into some conversation once they were both closer to finishing, but when she looked up from her plate after near-devouring a good chunk of her food, her heart sank. The other woman was drinking the last of her water after cleaning her plate, but once her glass was empty as well, she just gathered the dishes and cutlery, got up, took them to the kitchen, and deposited them into the sink. After that, rather than rejoining Yang at the table, she made her way to the apartments front entrance and began putting her boots on. _Was she... just gonna leave_? Quickly jumping up from her chair, she hurried to meet Melanie at the door.

"Hey, so uh, I was hoping we could spend some time together today? Maybe go out and do something if you want..." Yang attempted to offer.

"Sorry, I've got somewhere to be." Melanie answered, not even meeting the blonde's gaze.

 _So much for a perfect day_. Yang watched as her companion turned to leave, but she could not let it end, not like this. So she reached out to her. "Before you go, can I... text you later?"

Melanie just proceeded to open the front door."Thanks for breakfast blondie." She acknowledged before leaving, shutting the door behind her.

Once the other woman was gone, Yang just stood there, staring at her front door. This was supposed to be a _perfect_ day... and now it was just... another day. Her body felt... _heavy_ , so much so that it took a while just to get it to move. Then even when it did, Yang barely registered walking over to and promptly collapsing onto the couch. She almost had something good, a new start... but obviously not. It caused her to let out a heavy sigh. _Guess it's back to square one_...

Minutes ticked by as Yang lied on her couch, head buried in the cushions as she unsuccessfully tried to fight back tears. Why... after things were _just_ starting to look up... must she continue to suffer? She could have had Blake, she could have had Neo, hell, she could have even had _Melanie_ , but she screwed all of those up. It started with rejecting Blake back in high school, then not making her intentions clear with Neo, and finally... well, she was not quite sure what she did wrong with Melanie, but it probably had something to do with coming on too strong this morning. Either way, each of them were her fault, and how she was alone... yet again.

Yang really needed someone to talk to... Then a realization came. She did.

Slowly picking herself up from the couch and wiping the tears from her face, Yang made her way back to her room, where she grabbed her scroll - which she left in her jeans pocket from the prior night - and flopped down onto her bed. She switched on the device and navigated to her contacts, where after scrolling a bit, she found the one she was looking for: Cinder Fall. Not quite sure what to say, she tried typing out a message.

 **Yang** : _Hey Cinder, feelin good?_

 _No... that was stupid._

 **Yang** : _You doing alright Cin?_

 _Even worse._

 **Yang** : _Hey Cinder, I gotta admit I'm not in a great place right now and I know-_ **deleted**

 **Yang** : _Hey, wanna go out for lunch later? I need to vent._ **deleted**

 **Yang** : _Hey Cin, how ya doin?_ **deleted**

Yang sighed, letting the device slip from her fingers. Maybe she should just take a nap until the party.

Hopefully that would help.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Alrighty! Announcement time!

For one, for those who have read Aftercare, so sorry I missed the anniversary (April 21st). I really wanted to finish this set of OLC chapters before then so I could return to Aftercare for its anniversary, but thanks to writers block, I missed it. :(

Though still, it's crazy to think I started that story over a year ago. Wow.

Now speaking of Aftercare, the next OLC chapter will be the last one in this "set" of chapters before I move back to Aftercare, so that's exciting! (At least for myself and those who are reading it). For those who haven't, maybe give it a shot. :)

And as always, your feedback fuels me!

P.S.

The next chapter's gonna be _pretty_ long. Probably longer than this one. :P


	13. Six Drinks

**Author's Note** : And it's finally done! About time huh? Man this one took me a while, but it's here!

Announcements at the end!

Anywho, enjoy!

* * *

 _Alright. Mask? Check. Nice enough outfit? Check. Present... fuck._

Cinder had completely forgotten to pick up a birthday present for Weiss... Which was a huge issue for two reasons: She still had absolutely no idea what she could get her... and the party was set to start in under an hour. _Just perfect_.

Walking over to her bed, Cinder flopped down onto the lumpy mattress with a sigh. She had never been one that was particularly _good_ at knowing what to buy for people. Back... when she was alive, that was always Emerald's job. No matter the occasion, she always bought the best gifts. Even when it came to Salem's wedding... Cinder could still not believe how much their boss liked the gift. But sadly she did not have the same help this time, nor did she have the necessary knowledge to buy Weiss an appropriate present. It left her with one question; What was she going to do?

Then it hit her. Cinder _did_ have help. Or... at least she _could_ have help, depending on the availability of a certain redhead down the hall. _Guess there's one way to find out_. She thought, picking herself up from the mattress. _Hopefully she's not banging someone over there_.

After a quick walk, Cinder arrived at her friend's apartment. _First thing was first_. Leaning closer to the door, she closed her eye and listened to see if there were any... _activities_ currently happening inside. After a brief silence - thankfully - she stood back up and gently knocked on the door.

"Coming~!" Came Nora's voice from within. After a moment the door swung open, revealing the smiling redhead. "Hiya Cindy! What brings you here today?"

"Well I... need some assistance." Cinder admitted.

" _Assistance_ huh? What do ya need?" Nora wondered. "A strong pair of arms? A shoulder to cry on?" Then her smile became a smirk. "Maybe a bit of _stress relief_ if you catch my drift?"

Cinder let out a chuckle. "No nothing like that. I need help deciding on a birthday present." She informed. "There's a party at the bar for my coworker's girlfriend, Weiss."

"Well you've come to the right place! I'm great at that stuff!" Nora beamed. "What does she like?"

Cinder's gaze fell slightly. "I'm... not really sure. The only things I have learned about her thus far are that her punk style is merely an act she puts on to be like Vernal, she works at an ice cream parlour, and she's not exactly fond of children."

"Guess that makes things a little harder doesn't it..." The younger woman noted. "Did you have any ideas for what to get her?"

Cinder sadly shook her head. "Not one. Ever since Yang's sister Ruby mentioned the party to me, I've been trying to think of an appropriate gift to get her, but that's been... unsuccessful to put it simply. What makes it worse is that the party is _today_ , so I have no idea what I'm going to do." She let out a sigh. "In retrospect I probably should've spoken to Yang about it before now." Her friend brought a hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought. The two stood there in silence for a few moments, until the redhead appeared to have thought of something.

"I've got it!" Nora burst - snapping her fingers for emphasis - before running back into her apartment. Cinder watched as she swung open her closet doors and began digging through the pile of assorted items within. As she did, the older woman could only wonder what exactly Nora was looking for, and how it could help her - if at all. After a minute of searching, she pulled out what appeared to be an already-prepared silver gift bag, complete with colourful tissue paper. As she brought it back to the front door with a grin on her face, the older woman raised her brow.

"Where did you get that?" Cinder inquired, confused as to why her friend even had that in her closet in the first place.

"It's my emergency present!" Nora beamed. "I have it for just in case there's a birthday I forgot or just _really_ need a last-minute gift for."

Wow. That was actually a fairly smart thing to do. "I see, but what exactly _is_ it?" Cinder wondered.

"An egg vibrator!"

Cinder could not hold back a small chuckle. _Of course it's a sex toy_. "So let me get this straight, you want me to give an _egg vibrator_ to someone I barely know?"

"Well do ya got any better ideas?" Nora challenged with a grin.

 _Damnit_. "No..." Cinder mumbled.

"Then take it!" Nora smiled, holding out the bag, which the older woman somewhat reluctantly accepted. "I find sex toys always get a laugh, unless it's a more _conservative_ party of course, in which case it's _quite_ a bombshell."

Cinder examined the gift in her hands. "I don't imagine it will be anything of the sort, but I'm still going to ensure she doesn't open it in the company of the others."

"Aw that's no fun!" Nora faux-whined. "The public reveal is the best part!"

Cinder sighed. "Even so, I would rather not make myself the centre of attention for something like _that_ , or any reason for that matter."

Nora giggled. "Okay okay, you don't _have_ to, but I still think it'd be pretty funny."

"Perhaps at a future party, after I've known these people for a little while longer." Cinder noted.

"Fair enough." Nora accepted. "So you said the party's today?"

Cinder nodded. "That's right. It's in..." She trailed off before pulling her scroll free from her pocket and turning on the device. "About half an hour."

Nora's eyes suddenly widened. "That's really soon! What are you doing standing around here for? You're gonna be late!"

"Just because it starts soon doesn't mean I'm required to be there by that _exact_ time." Cinder defended.

"Yeah but showing up on time shows you care about it!" Nora countered. "Plus you could get the chance to give her the gift in private, before the place gets too packed."

 _Well she certainly makes a good point_. Cinder thought to herself. _Leaving now would allow me to give Weiss this present before the others show up... hopefully_. Then a realization came. "Nora... would you like to come with me?

"As fun as that'd be, I wouldn't wanna intrude since I'm not invited and stuff." Nora declined. "Plus I don't wanna get in the way of you bonding with your new friends! But I will come if you need me." Then she giggled. _"That's what she said."_

Cinder nodded, but not before rolling her eye. It had been a while since she made that joke. "Very well. Though I'm sure they wouldn't mind." She offered a smile to the redhead in front of her. "But either way, thank you Nora, for both the advice and this gift. I really can't imagine what I'd do without you."

Nora just grinned.

* * *

As Cinder walked though the back parking lot of _The Perch_ , a realization came. She had not been to a party - birthday-related or any other kind for that matter - in a _long_ time. The last one she could recall attending was a company Solstice party over a year ago, when she still worked for Salem. It was certainly a nice event - as every other year had been - but just like the others, it was also rather... _corporate_. Everyone had a pleasant time, but Cinder could never recall actually having _fun_ at any of them. Well, aside from that one time a few years ago when Emerald had managed to convince her to make out on one of the unoccupied floors, _during_ the party. Even now, she was _still_ surprised they did not get caught.

Then when it came to birthdays, Cinder and Emerald never really celebrated theirs publicly - at least after they graduated from high school and got away from the whole _party scene_. They both grew to much prefer to just spend the time with a few close friends - as well as each other of course - rather than having legitimate parties. Now, after _years_ of not attending a single one, she was on her way to an actual birthday party, with a present in hand and everything. It was as if she was back in high school again. _What a strange feeling_.

Opening the back door to the bar, Cinder stepped into the break room, and found it a bit... emptier than she expected. The wooden table that normally sat in the middle of the room was absent, while the chairs had all been moved to the side. It begged the question, where was the table? Perhaps it had been moved to the main area, but that only made her wonder _why_ it would be there in the first place. There were already plenty of tables in the bar. _Maybe I should go find out rather than just standing here thinking about it_.

Making her way into the front area, Cinder was immediately met with the sound of heavy rock music emanating from the bar's sound system. It was certainly a stark contrast from the radio station that normally played. She also spotted the table from the back, which was now set up near the closer end of the bar with ping pong paddles and a net - that she had no idea Raven owned. Or maybe it was someone else's, like Yang's. She did seem like the type of person who would own those kinds of accessories. Although, seeing the makeshift ping pong table made Cinder smile. It reminded her of her first year in university when she, Emerald, and some other friends decided to make their own using their common room's cafeteria-style table, a couple rulers, some paper, duct tape, and of course, a few _borrowed_ paddles and balls from another residence - all due to not wanting to buy a proper one... even though Cinder attempted to offer to buy one for them all. But no, they wanted to do it _the college way_.

"Cinder?" Came Raven's voice, pulling the younger woman from her reminiscing.

Shifting her gaze over towards the other end of the bar, Cinder finally noticed that her boss was staring at her, appearing to be in the process of moving the other tables and stools into the corner... alone. Wait, where were the others? Cinder checked her scroll several times before she arrived, and it was already past four-thirty by then, meaning the party should have already begun, so why was Raven the only person in the bar? _Maybe you should ask, rather than just staring at her_.

"Oh, hello Raven." Cinder greeted, attempting a smile. "I was just..." She trailed off, taking a look around the bar. "Where is everyone? I thought the party was set to start at four-thirty."

Raven furrowed her brow. "Four-thirty? I texted you it started at _five_ -thirty."

 _That couldn't be right... I checked the texts several times today, and she said four-thirty..._ Fishing her scroll from her pocket, Cinder switched it on and navigated to the text chain she had with her boss - which only confused her more. "Your text says four-thirty..."

Raven just blinked. "What?" Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her own scroll, then promptly sighed. "Well shit." She slid the device back into her pocket. "Sorry about that, my scroll's keypad hates me sometimes."

Cinder understood that feeling quite well. Her scroll's keyboard did not exactly respond very well to the fingers of her injured hand most of the time. It was a bit of a pain, but she got used to it after a while. "It's alright... But since I'm here, do you want any help moving those tables?"

Raven glanced around at the furniture around her, looking like she was about halfway done. So she shrugged. "Sure, just don't strain yourself if anything's too heavy. I don't want you getting hurt half an hour before the party."

"I won't." Cinder nodded, placing the gift for Weiss onto the bar - next to a set of empty plastic bowls, cups, plates and cutlery - before lifting the hatch and making her way over to the closet round table. She started with the stools, picking up one at a time - heeding her boss' advice - and carrying them into the corner where some of the others were. Once that was done, Cinder moved onto the table, which she hoped she would be able to lift. It would be rather embarrassing if she could not. Though thankfully that was not the case. When Cinder grabbed both ends of the table, she was able to pick it up - which was actually quite surprising. It was a bit harder on her left arm, but nothing she could not handle.

After spending another few minutes relocating the remaining tables and stools, the middle area of the bar was clear, for... some reason. Why _did_ they just move all of those pieces of furniture into the corner of the room? Sure it freed up some extra space, but it also eliminated potential seating for when the party _did_ start. The latter would only be an issue depending on the number of people that showed up, though Cinder did not imagine Weiss had _that_ many friends.

"Now that that's done, you wanna play some ping pong?" Raven wondered. "Since we've got nothin' else to do until the others show up."

Cinder blinked, not expecting the offer. "Oh, um, sure." She agreed. "Although a fair warning; I haven't played since I was in university, so I doubt I will be that good at it."

Raven let out a chuckle. "You don't have to worry about that, pretty much everyone here is shit too."

 _Well, that's at least something_.

Even though Cinder was a bit hesitant - as she imagined she would likely embarrass herself at some point - she joined her boss at the ping pong table. Upon Raven serving for the first time, the younger woman saw just how accurate her statement was... considering the ball hit the net after its first bounce. _Looks like you won't be embarrassing yourself today... at least alone_. Cinder thought to herself.

As the ball rolled back to Raven's side of the table, she quickly snatched it up. "Uh, that didn't happen."

Cinder could not help but smile. She used to hear that response _quite a bit_ back in university when she played with Emerald and their friends. What ended up leaving her mouth was her normal response to that, though seeing as who she was talking to, that might not have been the best idea. Unfortunately she did not realize it in time. "Right, you keep telling yourself that."

Raven immediately quirked a brow. "Well well, feelin' sassy today are we?"

It was at that moment Cinder realized what she had just said. "I... I didn't mean to..." Then Raven laughed, causing her to let out a small sigh of relief. Before the accident, she was so used to having to watch her mouth around Salem that she had forgotten what it was like to have a boss that had any kind of a sense of humour.

"Relax Cinder, you don't need to always worry about what you say in front of me." Raven assured. "I'm not gonna bite your head off if you _speak outta line_ or whatever. I don't give a shit."

After a moment Cinder nodded. She _really_ needed to get that through her head. It was just... after having Salem as a direct boss for six years, working under someone that was more... _chill_ \- as the kids would say - was something she needed to get used to...

And then a ping pong ball hit her in the chest.

" _Ah_!" Cinder yelped at the sudden impact, flailing slightly as she tried and failed to catch the ball. It ending up just falling onto the table, bouncing a few times until it rolled into the net. Looking back up, she saw her boss smirking at her.

"Your serve."

Now it was Cinder's turn to raise her brow, though a bit nervously. "Were you _aiming_ for my chest?"

Raven let out a surprisingly nervous chuckle. "I uh, no, I just... threw it and it happened to hit you there..." She rambled.

Once again, Cinder's mouth worked faster than her brain. "You sure you weren't trying to get it down my shirt?" She wondered as she picked up the ball. _Damn you un-thought-through response_.

"Yeah... pretty sure." Raven replied. "If I did that I could get in trouble with the boss."

Cinder furrowed her brow. "But... you _are_ the boss."

"Normally yes, but when _I_ do something wrong, I let Yang take that role." Raven explained. "I like to think she gets it from me but... eh."

"At least you have someone to take over when you feel like retiring." Cinder noted, getting ready to serve.

" _Retiring_?" Raven blurted. "I'm not _that_ old Cinder. I ain't retiring anytime soon."

"I never said that." Cinder defended, still slightly nervously. It was odd being able to talk to her boss so... _nonchalantly_. "I merely said when you _feel like_ retiring."

Raven did not seem like she was buying it, which due to her facial expression was a bit amusing. "Uhuh, _sure_ ya didn't. Just serve the ball." She somewhat grumbled.

Cinder could not hold back a slight giggle. "Of course." Raising the ball, she let it go before lightly hitting it across the table with her paddle, resuming the game. It was quite relaxing, to be able to just... _hang out_ with her boss, hitting a plastic ball back and forth. Cinder knew for a fact that she _never_ would have been able to do this with Salem. Hell even _talking_ to that woman always felt so... _formal_. But with Raven... maybe this proved that a boss could be more than just a superior at work.

Perhaps that was something Cinder could get used to.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!"

Cinder managed a smirk at Raven's outburst. They had been playing ping pong for the past half an hour, and in that time her boss had proven that she was _certainly_ not very good at the game. It had been close to fifteen years since the younger woman had played, yet she was ahead by... a number of points. She was not quite sure. The pair were not exactly keeping track.

"Looks like that's another point for me." Cinder informed.

Raven leaned down to pick up the ping pong ball that had just fallen to the floor, due to another missed return. "Yeah yeah yeah." She grumbled as she stood back up. "You know, I'm really starting to think the whole _I haven't played since university_ is bullshit."

"I assure you it was not a lie." Cinder promised.

"Then how can you explain being so much better than me?" Raven questioned. "We play on this table several times a year!"

"Number of uses does not always translate to skill." Cinder noted.

Raven quirked a brow. "Oh so I just suck?" She wondered, tossing the ball to the younger woman.

"Well, you're not exactly an _expert_." Cinder responded. _Oh gods I can't believe I just said that_.

Instead of defending herself, Raven just laughed. "Maybe I just need someone to help me not suck then."

Cinder let out a chuckle of her own. "Perhaps you do." Raising the ball, she prepared to serve it, but before she could drop the ball, she heard the door to the break room open.

"Looks like you two are having fun." Suddenly came Weiss' voice.

Turning around to face the direction of the wannabe punk - for lack of a better term - Cinder watched as she and Vernal strolled into the main area of the bar, the latter holding a couple of plastic bags that appeared to be filled with chips. _So that's what the empty bowls on the counter are for_. Cinder opened her mouth to speak, but Raven beat spoke up first.

"Well if by _having fun_ , you mean getting my ass kicked by someone who hasn't played this shit in like, fifteen years, then yes. I'm having _loads_ of fun."

Vernal immediately laughed, tossing the filled plastic bags onto the bar counter. "Alright, if you can't beat _her_ , I don't think there's _any_ hope for you Rae."

"I mean, I _was_ able to beat Weiss at Yang's party last year." Raven defended, placing her paddle onto the table.

"Only 'cause I was drunk." Weiss reminded with a smirk at the older woman. Then her gaze shifted to Cinder, and that smirk shifted into a brighter, _very_ un-punk-like smile. "Hey, glad you could make it."

Cinder offered a smile in return. "Thank you for inviting me." Then she remembered something. "Oh, I brought you a present." She informed, placing her own paddle onto the table before walking over to the counter and picking up the bag she brought.

Weiss blinked. "Wait, really?"

Cinder nodded, approaching the girl and holding out the bag, which she somewhat hesitantly took. "This is a joint gift. My friend thought you would... _enjoy it_... best not open it here."

"Wow, thanks Cinder... You know you really didn't have to..." Weiss started as she observed the present, before realizing just what the other woman had said. "Wait, what do you mean when you say not to open it here?"

 _Oh boy_. Cinder hoped she would not ask that. "Just... trust me. It's something that would be better opened at home." To which Weiss and Vernal exchanged looks of slight confusion, the latter shrugging.

"Alright... Well still, thank you." Weiss acknowledged, walking over to one of the booth tables where she placed the gift.

Cinder let out a small sigh of relief, quite thankful that the wannabe punk was agreeing to not open the present until later. Unfortunately that only really delayed the inevitable situation of them realizing she gave Weiss, someone she _barely_ knew, a _sex toy_ for her birthday. But it was too late now. The gift had been given, and there was nothing she could do about it. _Gods I hope they don't think I'm weird_.

"So who wants a drink?" Raven asked, making her way past the other woman and towards the bar hatch.

"Would you look at that, _Raven Branwen_ getting behind the bar for once." Vernal teased with a sly grin.

"Only 'cause I've always got other shit to do, and I have you guys anyway. I never get to be back here." Raven defended as she positioned herself behind the counter, while the other women approached the other side. "Plus Qrow's gonna be manning the bar later so this is the only time I get."

"Guess it's the downside of being the boss." Vernal commented.

"Well, that and not getting to hit on the customers, you and Yang have it good." Raven added, which promptly caused Weiss to lean forward to glare at her girlfriend.

 _"Excuse me?"_

Raven let out a laugh. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Yang's the only one that flirts with folks around here, though that's just _part of her character_ as she puts it."

Weiss then proceeded to cross her arms and... scowl? Or perhaps it was a pout... It certainly looked like the latter. "That'd better be the case." She grumbled.

"Of course it is babe." Vernal assured. "You know that ass of yours is the only one for me." She made sure to reach down and give her girlfriend's rear a firm squeeze, eliciting a slight jump and a choked squeak.

 _And there's the PDA_. Cinder thought as Vernal pulled Weiss closer - by her rear - and into a quick kiss. Considering their _usual_ activities in the workplace, she had wondered when they were going to begin that day.

"So... are any of you gonna tell me what you want?" Raven wondered. "Or am I supposed to just stand here and look pretty?"

Cinder blinked, realizing that they had indeed not done that yet. Although... should she really be drinking around not only her coworkers, but her _boss_?

"I'll take a White Atlesian." Weiss requested.

"Startin' off strong I see." Raven observed. "And you Vernal?"

"I'm actually not drinking today, so I'll have a water." Vernal answered, causing the older woman to raise a brow. "It's part of a gift for my _little snowflake_. Being sober is gonna allow for... _better performance_ later." She ended with a grin and wink - the latter unseen by Cinder.

"Fair enough, makes my job easier." Raven acknowledged as she began collecting glasses and ingredients. "What about you Cinder?"

"I... don't think I should drink tonight." Cinder answered, partially avoiding eye contact.

Raven furrowed her brow. "You sure? This _is_ a party you know, not a shift, so you're allowed to loosen up a little."

Cinder thought for a moment. _Maybe she's right_. Perhaps she should _loosen up_ a bit. But what if she embarrassed herself? She could end up saying something stupid, or worse, _doing_ something stupid. Though at the same time... considering what Weiss was having as her _first_ drink, Cinder doubted it would be she herself that did something embarrassing. _Maybe just start with something simple. Can't go wrong with simple_.

"I'll just have a Rum and Coke." Cinder finally decided. _Just take it slow, and everything will be fine_.

A small grin spread across Raven's face. "That's the spirit." Then she turned to address all three. "Now you ladies go make yourselves comfortable in a booth, and I'll be right over with drinks."

"Sounds good, c'mon babe." Vernal answered, taking her girlfriend's hand and leading her over to a booth.

Cinder managed a smile. "Thank you Raven." She nodded before turning to join Weiss and Vernal.

After taking her seat across from the couple, the trio spent the short time waiting for Raven in somewhat awkward silence - at least for Cinder. The older woman essentially just sat there as Weiss cuddled up to Vernal, and Vernal... hopefully was not _teasing_ her girlfriend, but if their facial expressions were anything to go by, that was likely what was happening. _Gods this is uncomfortable_. Thankfully her boss soon returned with a tray of drinks in hand - one for each of the three, as well as one for herself. Cinder could only hope she was going to break the silence.

"Okay... Rum and Coke for Cinder, a boring old water for Vernal..." Raven emphasized that one with a slight grin. "And a White Atlesian for the birthday girl, complete with one of those little umbrellas you love so much."

"Thank you!" Weiss smiled, happily receiving the glass and immediately taking _quite_ a large sip. By the time she put her drink down, it was half empty.

 _Starting off strong indeed_. Cinder thought as she was handed her drink. "Thank you." Her boss gave a quick nod in response before handing Vernal her water. She then took her own drink - what appeared to be a bottle of Vacuoan beer - off of the tray, placed it next to Cinder's and tossed the tray onto the counter... or at least _tried to_. In reality it fell a just a _bit_ short, hitting one of the bar stools before falling to the floor.

" _Fuckin'_... Nobody saw that." Raven grumbled, walking over to pick up the tray and placing it onto the counter.

Cinder could not help but grin at the older woman. "She's been saying that a lot today."

"Oh _ha ha_ , _real_ funny." Raven deadpanned as she returned to the booth. "Shut up and scoot your ass over."

Cinder let out a chuckle. "Yes ma'am." She agreed, grabbing her drink and sliding further into the booth to allow Raven to sit down next to her. Once her boss was settled and sipping on her own beverage, Cinder looked across the table to find Vernal staring at them, a brow raised and an amused smirk on her face.

"Wow, she calls you ma'am and gets _nothing?"_

"Quiet you." Raven asserted. Then as she took another sip from her beer, she shot a quick glance over at Cinder, and the younger woman noticed the edges of her mouth curl upward a tiny bit. "I'll let it slide this time."

"Well well, _special treatment_ from the boss." Vernal drawled, her smirk still present. "You better savor that shit Cinder, it doesn't come often."

"Unlike you two." Raven commented.

Vernal laughed. "Your fault for letting us use the back closet."

"A privilege I can easily take away, smartass." Raven added with a smirk of her own.

"But you wouldn't do that on my _birthday_! Would you Raven?" Weiss whined, suddenly aware of the present conversation after finishing her drink.

"Push your luck Weiss, and you won't get any cake." Raven warned, causing Weiss to immediately shrink back down into her seat.

"I'll be good."

Both Raven and Vernal then burst into laughter, and even Cinder managed to giggle. _Must be some good cake._

Suddenly the door to the back room burst open, prompting the four women to look over at it, and revealing a gift-holding Yang who looked... nicer than usual, at least as far as Cinder knew. She was expecting her to show up in a t-shirt and short-shorts, but the blonde was clad in an orange blouse and a clean pair of skinny jeans. And to add to that, her hair was brushed back in a ponytail - Cinder had _never_ seen it like that. If she was being honest, Yang looked quite beautiful.

"Hey! Sorry I'm so late! I kinda overslept." Yang admitted as she walked into the main area, placing the wrapped box she was carrying onto the booth table along with the other gift.

"It's six o'clock Yang, how could you have _possibly_ overslept?" Raven questioned.

"I uh, had a _guest_ over last night, and so you know, _didn't get a lotta sleep last night_." Yang explained. "So once she left this morning, I took a nap... for longer than I meant to, and well, here we are."

"Explains why I didn't get my midnight _happy birthday_ text like last year." Weiss noted.

"Yeah... sorry about that."

"Well then." Weiss started, somewhat slowly raising from her seat to face the blonde. "Guess I'll have to settle for an extra big _Xiao-Long hug_." She grinned - unseen by Cinder - as she held out her arms.

Yang chuckled. "Deal." Walking over to Weiss, she wrapped her friend in what appeared to be _quite_ the tight hug, actually lifting her up off the ground. "Happy birthday punk stuff."

Weiss let out a _very_ un-punk-like giggle. "Thanks Yang." Then she turned her head towards the table containing the two presents. "Is that the _super amazing_ gift you were talking about before?"

"The very same." Yang smiled as she put down the wannabe punk.

"Still no hints?" Weiss wondered.

Yang just grinned. "Nope!"

"But it's my birthday!" Weiss whined.

"Which is why I got you a present in the first place, silly." Yang reminded before leaning to the side to wave at the occupied booth. "Sup ladies, the party has finally arrived!"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Uhuh, the _party_ that was supposed to be here two hours ago to help me set this shit up."

Yang brought up a hand to run it through her hair, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Sorry about that mom. I only meant to nap for a few hours, but it ended up lasting all afternoon. Probably should've set an alarm now that I think about it, considering it took Ruby texting me to actually get me up."

Raven took another sip from her beer, leaning back in her seat. "Hm... What do you think birthday girl? Should I let her off the hook?"

Weiss immediately grinned. "Only if she makes me another drink!"

Raven chuckled. "Well you heard her Yang, get behind the counter."

"Alright alright, come on _birthday girl_ , let's get you another... let me guess, White Atlesian?" Yang wondered, heading over to the bar hatch.

"Yep!" Weiss beamed as she sauntered over to the counter.

Once the blonde and the wannabe punk were occupied at the counter - and Cinder was finished somewhat creepily watching them - she turned her attention back to Raven and Vernal, who were just sitting quietly, enjoying their drinks. Which was honestly fine by her. Back when Cinder used to attend parties, whether they were house parties or corporate events, it was always nice to find time to just... _relax_ \- and she imagined that there will not be a lot of that once more people arrived. She knew Ruby and Pyrrha would be attending at some point, but that also begged the question; Who else was coming?

Then Cinder heard the bar's front door swing open. _Guess that question's going to be answered sooner than I thought_. practically mimicking her boss and turning to face the entrance, she was greeted with the sight of Pyrrha and... Ruby? At least... that was who it appeared to be. Though the closer she looked, the less she was sure it was actually Ruby. It was as if that girl had done everything in her power to look as mature as possible - Which looked rather weird. Had she always been that tall? Perhaps it was her new way of dressing up for a party.

Suddenly Weiss gasped. "You guys made it!" She burst - quite loudly - as she practically ran over to the pair and wrapped Pyrrha in a hug, who wished her a happy birthday before being released. She then moved onto Ruby, who she met in a much gentler and longer hug. She whispered something into Weiss' ear - likely a happy birthday, but Cinder was unable to make it out - and then planted a kiss on her cheek. Was that something Ruby always did to her good friends?

Then Raven spoke up. "Come on, time to be a big happy family." She sighed, pulling herself up out of the booth.

Cinder furrowed her brow. "What?"

"You'll see." Raven simply answered, moving out of the way to allow the younger woman to stand up.

Once Cinder was on her feet, she looked to her boss, who just gestured towards the trio, so she approached them - albeit slowly. As much as she did not want to be around Pyrrha and Ruby, she was still curious as to how exactly the latter was able to look so different. Upon seeing her coming closer, a gift-carrying Pyrrha offered a small smile.

"Hello Cinder, I'm glad you could attend."

Though Cinder _badly_ wanted to just brush the other woman off, she ultimately decided against it. This was a party after all, everyone was there to enjoy themselves, so there was no need for unpleasantries. Cinder smiled as nice as she could manage. "Hi Pyrrha, it's good to see you." She kind of lied.

That certainly surprised Pyrrha, which was rather amusing. "Oh, it's um, good to see you too." She nodded before walking passed the older woman, further into the bar.

A few moments passed in somewhat awkward silence, until Weiss finally released Ruby, turning to find Cinder standing behind her. "Oh! Hi!" She beamed. "There's someone I want you to meet!"

 _Damn, why is that girl being so loud? Wait, did she say meet? Was this not Ruby?_

As the wannabe punk - who was _definitely_ not acting like one - guided 'Ruby' towards Cinder, she was starting to realize that it was not who she had thought it was. This woman, who looked _frighteningly_ similar to Ruby, was actually nearly a head taller than Weiss, but still shorter than Cinder and Pyrrha. The only things that she could see that differentiated her from Ruby were the slight presence of crows feet. Did that girl have a twin sister that she was unaware of?

The woman offered a very bright smile. "Hello, you must be Cinder." She greeted in a voice that was _undoubtedly_ not Ruby's.

Cinder nodded. "I am. Are you Ruby's sister or something?"

The woman let out a gentle laugh. "Oh no, but thank you the compliment. I'm actually her mother. My name is Summer Rose."

Wait a second. She was that girl's _mother_? How the hell... She must of had Ruby when she was a _teenager_. Well, either that or she knew the secret to looking like she was in her thirties while in her forties... or fifties... however old she was.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Mrs. Rose." Cinder addressed, extending a hand, which the other woman gladly shook.

"Please, call me Summer." She insisted, before taking Cinder's hand in both of her own, looking her straight in the eye as she took on a more serious tone. "I'm sorry we didn't meet sooner, I rarely had the time to attend other outings, though I heard a lot about you from others."

"A lot of lukewarm opinions I imagine." Cinder guessed.

"You would be surprised." Summer smiled. "But regardless, a lot has happened in the past, and I'm glad to have been able to meet you now. If you are ever in need of a helping hand, my family stands with open arms, as everyone should have done."

Cinder just blinked, unsure of what to think of what she just heard. Being offered help nowadays was starting to become nothing new, but the way Summer was doing it felt so... _genuine_. Although, thanks to Nora's still somewhat new presence in her life, Cinder was beginning to get used to having someone that was so _forward_ with their support, but at the same time... To see someone that not only knew about the fire, but whose _daughter_ experienced it offering such unquestionable support... Well, it was certainly surprising to say the least.

"Cinder?" Came Summer's voice, interrupting Cinder's train of thought.

"Oh, yes?"

"Are you alright?" Summer inquired. "You've been kind of staring off into space."

Cinder nodded, managing a smile. "You just... caught me off guard is all."

Summer chuckled, releasing the younger woman's hand. "My apologies. I've been told I can be a bit... _forward_ when first meeting someone."

 _Reminds me of a certain someone I know_. Cinder thought to herself with a smirk. But before she could actually _verbally_ respond - or even think of something else to say - Yang approached from behind.

"Hey mom!" Yang beamed before meeting Summer in a one-armed hug - careful not to spill her strange yellow cocktail. "'Bout time you got here! Where's Rubes at?" She wondered as the two separated. "You didn't forget her at home did ya?"

"Of course not!" Summer defended through a laugh. "She's just parking the car."

"Aw man, does that mean she's stuck being DD?" Yang wondered with a frown.

Summer shrugged. "Depends where the night takes us. Though I suspect I'll be the one driving the girls home."

"Super mom's gonna have to take care of everyone as usual." Yang teased.

Summer let out a chuckle. "As usual indeed."

"Well why don't you two go join Pyr and get some drinks?" Yang offered. "Vernal took over for me and you know how good of a bartender she is. Plus I'm sure Weissy here is looking to get another White Atlesian."

Summer looked over to Weiss with a smile. "That sounds good to me. After the day I had, I think I could use a drink."

Weiss immediately grinned. "Okay!" She agreed, practically holding onto Summer as the pair headed to the bar counter, leaving Cinder and Yang.

After a brief silence spent watching the two woman - which Cinder could admit was a bit weird - she observed something about the behaviour of the wannabe punk. Everyone seemed to love Summer, but with Weiss... there appeared to be something more. "So... is it just me, or is Weiss hanging off Summer like a sick puppy?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "Yeah, that happens."

Cinder quirked her brow. "There some kind of story behind that?"

"It started when Weiss spent last Solstice with us." Yang explained. "At the end of the night, mom gave her some food and a hug, and the punk act just vanished for like a week."

"But then... where was Vernal?" Cinder wondered, knowing that the two were a couple by that point.

"Drinking with Raven." Yang informed.

 _Oh_. Well that was certainly a bit unfortunate. Cinder had always spent Solstice with Emerald and some of their friends, so to think that Raven spent even one just drinking with an employee was... Wait a second.

"Where's Raven?"

Yang looked around, also suddenly aware that her mother was no longer present. "Oh you're right... Maybe she's getting something from her office or somethin'. I'm sure she'll be back soon, but I can go get her if you want."

Cinder shook her head. "You go enjoy yourself, I'll find her."

Yang shrugged. "Alright."

And so Cinder walked through the bar towards the back area, wondering what her boss was up to and why it drew her away from the party. She hoped nothing was wrong. But maybe Yang was right, perhaps she was merely retrieving something for the party from her office.

Unfortunately what she would come to find was not exactly going to be pleasant.

* * *

 _Well, are you going to knock?_

 _Of course I am. I just need a minute._

 _Oh yeah, after how many minutes you've already taken?_

 _Shut up me._

 _I'll shut up when you get your half-burnt ass in there._

Cinder let out a sigh. _Fine. Bitch._

Taking a deep breath, she gently knocked on the door to Raven's office... and received no answer. Though that was honestly a bit of a relief. There were few things that she hated more than going to the boss' office - even if it was voluntary - but she could not exactly back out now. After all, she had already knocked.

"That you Cinder?" Came Raven's tired voice from within.

"It is." Cinder confirmed. "I- Wait, how did you know it was me?"

"Saw you through the window." Raven simply replied.

 _Oh yes, that mirror is a window on her side_. "I just came to see where you had gone." Cinder informed.

"Oh, right... I'm just uh... takin' a breather is all." Raven answered.

 _Taking a breather? From what_? Cinder furrowed her brow. There was something... _off_ from the tone of her boss' voice. Which was odd considering she was having a good time with everyone not fifteen minutes ago. "Are you alright Raven?"

"Peachy."

Now Cinder could tell something was wrong. But unfortunately she did not know how to proceed, unsure of whether Raven was was the type of person who wanted help in this kind of situation, or just preferred to be left alone. _Well maybe you should find out_. Cinder thought to herself. _She helped you, now you should help her_. "Would you... like me to come in?" She offered, hearing a sigh from inside the office.

"Sure, why not."

 _Well, there's no turning back now_. Reaching for the knob, Cinder slowly opened the office door, revealing a sight that was far sadder than she could have imagined. Inside was Raven, not looking for something as Cinder and Yang had initially speculated, nor was she doing work - as she would any other day - but slumped at her desk staring out the window into the main area, accompanied by an empty beer bottle, a mostly full bottle of vodka and a shot glass. Had her boss... just been sitting there taking shots alone? If she did not think there was something wrong before, she _certainly_ did now.

A few moments pass by in silence before Raven's gaze shifted to the younger woman. "Hey, you enjoying the party?"

Cinder blinked in response, not expecting that... _casual_ of a question. "Oh, um, yes... I am actually. Honestly I thought I wouldn't have that good of a time due to the fact that I'm so new to this group, but I'm glad to say I was wrong."

"That so? Good to hear." Raven somewhat mumbled. "What about Summer? Saw you two gettin' pretty friendly out there."

"Well I didn't get to spend very long with her, but she was a delight to talk to." Cinder smiled. "Excessively kind, bright-faced and all that. She's like a carbon copy of Ruby." Then she chuckled. "Or I suppose Ruby is a carbon copy of her."

Raven did not respond immediately, instead grabbing and opening the bottle of vodka. "Oh yeah? Well if you like her so much, maybe you should try your luck."

Cinder could not help but laugh. "Don't get me wrong, Summer is lovely to be around, but I think that kind of positivity would have me clawing my eye out in a week."

As she poured what Cinder could only imagine was another shot, Raven scoffed. "Wow. Can't say I've ever heard anyone _reject_ the idea of tryin' to get with _little miss perfect_."

Cinder let out a chuckle. "From what I saw she seems like a darling. Everyone loves her, prissy perfect Summer Rose, _super mom extraordinaire_. Yeah, I can totally relate. You on the other hand? I can see us getting drunk and bitching about how shit we are."

Raven actually managed a smile at that. "Okay, let's do it then."

"Wait, what?"

Opening one of the drawers, Raven pulled out a second shot glass, placing it onto the desk before filling it with vodka. "Well I've got another shot glass here, so why not join me in burning some pain away?"

 _Burning pain away_? "Raven, are you... really alright?" Cinder inquired - actually beginning to worry for her boss - as she pulled one of the chairs closer to her boss' desk and took a seat.

Picking up her glass, Raven sighed. "Not really, but hey, what else is new."

 _What else is new_? What the hell happened in the last twenty minutes that had caused Raven to become so... well, grumpy? Perhaps something had angered her that Cinder did not notice, so took a moment to think. The first thing they had done was move the table and stools into the corner of the main area, and Raven seemed fine then. Next, they played ping pong, and they both actually had a lot of fun. It felt rather nice to be able to _loosen up_ a bit around her boss. After that Weiss and Vernal showed up, and the four of them just talked for a while in one of the booths, and as far as Cinder could see, her boss enjoyed herself. But... that could not be right. The only things that could have _possibly_ affected Raven's mood are when Yang arrived late and when Cinder called her _ma'am_ , but her boss showed no signs of being actually _annoyed_ by those. So then... what happened? The only thing that occurred after that was Summer and Pyrrha arriving... Wait a minute.

"Raven, may I ask you something?" Cinder wondered.

The older woman shrugged. "Sure."

Cinder had the _slight_ feeling she was going to regret asking this. "Has anything ever happened between you and Pyrrha?"

Raven looked confused, then amused, barking a laugh. "Nikos is a cinnamon roll, it'd be a cold day in hell before she did something that made me walk out."

Cinder furrowed her brow. _Wait, it wasn't Pyrrha? But... Summer seems too nice. What could she have possibly done_? "Then... what about Summer?"

Raven's gaze fell to her filled shot glass. "That's... a little complicated."

Cinder got the feeling that there was a lot to this, but at the same time, she was not going to get anywhere by stopping now. "A lot of things are complicated Raven, but that doesn't mean we can just run away from them when they show up." She informed. _Wow, I can't believe how well that came out. I guess Nora's really rubbed off on me_. "What happened?"

"You sure you wanna go down that rabbit hole?" Raven asked.

Now that her boss was describing it like that, Cinder actually began to doubt she was. But there was one thing she was sure of, thanks to Nora of course. "If it means not leaving you alone to sulk and drink, then yes."

Raven managed a smile. "Alright then." Picking up both of the shot glasses, she handed one to Cinder, who reluctantly accepted it. "They're already filled, might as well take 'em." Raven added, seeing the younger woman's face of uncertainty.

"I suppose that makes sense." Cinder acknowledged.

Raven raised her glass, which Cinder met with a clink. "Cheers." She grinned before downing the shot.

 _Well, so much for taking it slow_. Cinder thought to herself before somewhat hesitantly drinking her own. As the liquid traveled down her throat, one thought ran through her mind. _Ah yes, there's that familiar burn_. It had certainly been quite some time since she had the taste of vodka in her mouth.

Once the the two shot glasses had been placed back onto the desk, Raven let out a sigh. "Qrow and I were born into a shitty family, didn't exactly have the most _caring_ parents, made me wonder if they even _wanted_ kids in the first place... Anyways, still have no fucking clue how I survived to high school, but if it wasn't for Summer and Tai I'd probably be in prison or a gang or something."

"Tai?"

"My ex, her husband." Raven informed, partially avoiding eye contact.

 _Oh_. So it was _that_ kind of issue. "Did she steal him from you or something?" Cinder wondered.

"Not exactly." Raven answered. "He was uh, _our_ boyfriend."

"Oh." Cinder could not help the shock on her face. That was surprising. "That's... complicated?"

"In theory no, just like adding another person into the relationship, which in this case was me, but that wasn't what made it complicated." Raven explained.

"Then... what did?" Cinder inquired.

"It was the fact that..." Raven sighed. "Summer didn't love me back... not in the way I wanted."

Cinder certainly knew how that felt. "That's unfortunate."

"Yeah, it was." Raven slowly nodded. "When I was invited into the relationship, I thought she at least liked me, but that was just me being hopeful. She was just being considerate of Tai's feelings for me."

"So then... what happened?" Cinder asked after a few moments of silence.

"Well at first I tried to deal with it, accept that Summer was never gonna return my feelings and just focus on Tai instead." Raven described. "It actually worked for a while, thanks to the sheer amount of effort that man put in just to try to make me happy." A slight smile crept onto her face. "Always givin' me extra attention whenever we were all together, takin' me out on a bunch of solo dates, and the sex..." Noticing her employee's raised brow, she let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry I'm not gonna describe it or anything, but gods _damn_ did he know how to please a woman."

 _I really hope she doesn't continue_. Cinder thought to herself. Hearing about her boss' sex stories was not exactly something she _wanted_ to experience.

Instead Raven's gaze fell. "But of course that couldn't last. Tai did his best, and I can't thank him enough for that, but it wasn't enough. Summer didn't love me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget it. I ended up turning to alcohol, hoping that would at least dull the pain, but as you could imagine, that just made things worse. Eventually I did what I probably should've done months before that and separated from them. Thankfully it wasn't too hard since I was already living above this place, but uh... that didn't last very long."

Cinder furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"A few weeks after leaving them, I started getting morning sickness." Raven explained. "Thought I was just regular sick, but it stuck. Qrow tried to get me to a doctor but I was stubborn, and in denial, didn't wanna face the music." She then looked out the window towards the main area. "Unfortunately for me, Qrow's dumb ass went to Summer, who shows up while my head's in the toilet, and gently holds my hair back while chewing me out." Raven laughed, pouring and downing another shot. "Then she drags me to a doctor, and _ding_ , pregnant." She sighed once again. "I could barely feed myself right, so of course _I_ was the one to fuck up. One damn missed pill, and I'm right back where I came from, stuck between Summer and Tai."

Now Cinder was beginning to understand. She could not imagine receiving that kind of help from someone that previously rejected her.

"And that wasn't even the worst part." Raven continued. "Once Yang had been born, I realized that I couldn't take care of her on my own. I tried my hardest, but I just... wasn't good at juggling mothering and working. Honestly I've got no fuckin' idea how other women do it, so I had to admit to the _newly engaged couple_ that I needed help. Of course Summer was _more_ than happy to, being the type of woman she is, all 'cause I'm _family_ in her eyes." She somewhat grumbled. "So then I was forced to deal with the fact that I was not only a failure of a lover, but a mother too. And every night I was kept up, scared shitless that Yang was gonna grow up loving Summer more."

Taking a break from her story, Raven poured another couple shots, offering the second the Cinder, who hesitantly accepted it. She _definitely_ needed to make sure she did not drink anymore after this. Once the drinks had been consumed, her boss continued.

"Certainly didn't help when Ruby was born a couple years later." Raven added. "Yang got attached, felt the need to be there for her and stuff, you know, _to be a good big sister_..." Then she sighed. "Just like her mother taught her..."

"Aren't... _you_ her mother?" Cinder tentatively inquired.

"Only 'cause I gave birth to her, but Summer's been more of a mother than I ever could've been." Raven replied, her gaze falling to the shot glass in her hand. "She raised Yang, _and_ Ruby, working as a full time chef, even when Tai was working on his degree. You called her super mom sarcastically earlier, but that shit is fuckin' accurate."

Cinder could not help but smile. "I'll take your word for it." Then she realized something. "But if Yang was raised by Summer, what were you?"

Raven let out a sad chuckle. "Just _good old Aunt Raven_."

Cinder blinked. "You were... an aunt to your own daughter?"

Raven shrugged. "Wasn't too bad, meant that she got to grow up in a better home."

"And what about the truth?" Cinder wondered.

Raven's shoulders slumped a bit. "Well, the older Yang got, the worse Summer and Tai felt about her not knowing I wasn't actually her aunt, so a little while after her fifteenth birthday, we all sat down and talked about it, she didn't take it well, to say the least." Raven half-smirked through her grimace. "Naturally, Summer took most of the blame, and Yang ran off to her friend Blake's for a few days, 'cause she didn't wanna see any of us. Eventually Blake's mother talked her into coming home, where she ignored everyone but Ruby." She paused for a moment to briefly look out the office window. "It didn't happen overnight, but she eventually forgave us, and with Summer being the type of woman she is, she taught Yang not to show any favouritism between us, 'cause uh..." She cleared her throat. " _Raven is a complicated woman, but she's still your mother, and she loves you more than anything else in the world. She needs people like us in her life to keep her strong_." Raven described in a voice that the other woman could only guess was supposed to be imitating Summer's.

Cinder attempted but failed to stifle a laugh. "Was that supposed to be Summer?"

"Shut up, I can't do voices for shit." Raven grumbled. "You think you can do any better?"

Cinder chuckled. "Gods no. Do I look like a voice actress to you?"

"Well no, but you wouldn't really _look_ like one, you'd _sound_ like one." Raven commented.

"Good point." Cinder acknowledged. Then she thought of something else she was curious about. "How did Yang end up coming to work here?"

"It was Summer's idea." Raven began. "After Yang was outta high school, she was havin' some trouble with what she wanted to do. She thought about taking a year or two to get her head on straight, but needed to find more reliable work. Summer suggested coming to me for work, and since it meant we'd spend more time together, she thought it'd be good for us and stuff." A slight smile began to spread across her face. "At first I thought it was a terrible idea, that we'd never get over the _unbearable_ awkwardness that came on her first shift, but I'm glad to say I was wrong. It was pretty weird for a while- scratch that _very_ weird, but things eventually smoothed out, and now we're good. Happy family and all that shit."

At first Cinder smiled, glad to hear that Raven and Yang were able to make up after something like that, but it also reminded her of her own family. She lost her parents when she was a child, so she barely remembered them, but wished she did. They _had_ to have been better than the pieces of shit she had to move in with - Her self-named and exceptionally wealthy stepmother and sisters. Even to this day, she honestly had no clue why they bothered taking her in, considering how horrible they were to her. Cinder hated them, and hated _living_ with them, so she did the only thing that she could think of and convinced them to send her to boarding school. Then the moment she turned eighteen she was finally able to emancipate herself, and she was finally free.

"Hey, you okay?" Came Raven's voice, pulling the younger woman from her certainly less-than-pleasant thoughts.

After a moment Cinder nodded. "All this talk of you and Yang, and all I can think of is my own family." Cinder sneered at the label, before sighing. "I fucking hated those people."

Raven smirked, quirking her brow. " _Really_? I didn't get that impression from the massive stink eye you gave Glynda when she pushed the topic."

"If I had voiced everything I felt she would stick me in a padded cell." Cinder commented.

"Well I'm sure she's gonna get you to open about them sooner or later." Raven noted.

Cinder sighed. "Don't remind me." She somewhat grumbled.

Raven let out a chuckle, reaching over to pick up and uncap the half-empty vodka bottle. "Guess shitty family pasts are a theme around here too." She observed as she poured out two more shots. "Or maybe just shitty lives in general". Once the two glasses were filled, she passed one to Cinder, who accepted it with less hesitation than earlier.

"Seems like it." Cinder agreed. Then her boss did something unexpected. Rather than downing her shot, Raven instead raised her glass.

"To shitty lives that'll hopefully get better."

Cinder could not help but smile.

"I'll certainly drink to that."

* * *

After a few more shots at Raven's request, the older woman _finally_ agreed to return to the party - which Cinder was quite thankful for. It was true she was a social drinker herself, so being able to hold her liquor was part of her character, but she was unsure of how many more shots she would have been able to handle if they had continued. Already feeling increasingly and kind of pleasantly buzzed, Cinder decided she would at least _try_ to take it easy for the rest of the night. But at the same time, getting drunk was likely an inevitability, so perhaps she would just see where the night went. _Well if you do get drunk, just make sure you're not the first one to do something stupid or embarrassing_. Cinder told herself. _Though I'm sure with Weiss around, that won't be much of an issue_.

Following her boss through the somewhat squeaky door to the front area, Cinder was met with a view very similar to the one she had left earlier. Everyone was stuffed into a single booth, with Vernal, Weiss and Summer on one side - the wannabe punk cuddling up to the older woman - and Yang, Pyrrha and Ruby on the other. She also noticed that a couple of the plastic bowls that were previously on the bar counter were now on the booth table, filled with two different kinds of chips. Cinder wondered if either of them were sour cream And onion. She quite enjoyed that flavour.

Upon noticing the pair walking towards them, a sly grin instantly spread across Yang's face. "Well well, where have _you two_ been for the last little while?" She asked as the other women turned towards the pair.

"Oh, we were just having some fun looking at your baby pictures." Raven smirked.

Yang's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait _what?"_

A few seconds passed in silence before Raven laughed. "I'm kidding, we were just talking about work stuff."

Yang quirked a brow. "You were talkin' about _work stuff_ in the middle of a party? Yeah, not buyin' it mom."

Raven just shrugged. "So where's Qrow?" She wondered, taking a look around the bar. "I know he's usually late to these sorts of things but this is ridiculous."

"I mean he stopped by earlier, said hi to everyone and gave Weiss her present, but then left 'cause he still had a hangover from a party he was at last night." Yang explained.

Raven let out a sigh. " _Fuckin'_... Well at least he came to see Weiss." Then she turned to the wannabe punk. "Sorry about that kiddo."

"Ah don't worry about it! He gave me some fancy alcohol!" Weiss beamed, holding up a bottle of rather high quality whiskey. Then she suddenly perked up and gasped, revealing her now-let-down hair to Raven and Cinder. "Oh my shit I love this song! Come dance with me mom!" She excitedly requested, downing the rest of her drink before tugging on Summer's shoulder, who chuckled in response.

"Of course dear, but only for a little while okay? Work's been pretty busy lately, so I'm a little tired."

"Okay!" Weiss smiled as she practically dragged Summer out into the empty area of the room to dance.

"And there goes _Weissy dance pants_." Yang commented with a laugh.

Rather than taking their place next to Vernal, Raven just headed over to the bar, perhaps to get another beer. Cinder figured she could use some water after all those shots, so she decided to follow her.

"Raven, can I ask you a question?" Cinder wondered as her boss positioned herself behind the bar.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Why is Weiss calling Ruby's mother... _mom_?" Cinder inquired, somewhat unsure of what to think of that.

"It's what happens when a disowned girl meets Summer Rose." Raven answered before grabbing another bottle of Vacuoan beer from underneath the counter.

Cinder furrowed her brow. "Is she some kind of foster mother or something?"

Raven shook her head. "Nah, she just adopts broken things."

 _Adopts broken things_? Cinder was curious to know what exactly that meant, but also got the feeling it was another _rabbit hole_ that was not exactly her business... _Wait, why did I come up here again? Oh yeah_. "Could I get some water?"

A small smirk made its way onto Raven's face. "Done drinking already? Were the shots too much for ya?"

"You know I do have to get home at some point right?" Cinder noted.

Raven shrugged. "I've got a comfy couch that says otherwise."

Cinder raised her brow. "Oh so I don't even get a bed now?"

"Sorry Cin, the bed's for guests, employees get the couch." Raven informed, her smirk still present.

 _Oh I see, I'm an employee so I only get the couch- Wait, did she just call me Cin?_

"How about a beer then?" Raven suggested. "Nice and light, and this Vacuoan craft brand is actually pretty good, even though it's not very expensive."

 _Vacuoan, huh_? "Can't say I've ever had Vacuoan beer before." Cinder admitted. Even though she worked at several bars during her youth, getting experience with many kinds of beer, she only ever stuck to a few brands from Mistral and Vale when she drank - or course not counting other kinds of alcohol she was fond of such as vodka or rum.

"Wait, seriously?" Raven blurted, to which Cinder nodded. Grabbing a bottle opener and popping the cap off of her beer, she offered it to the younger woman. "Wanna try some then?"

"Sure, why not." Cinder agreed, gladly accepting the bottle before taking a small sip. It was delicious, tasting of apples, but damn was it sweet. She was definitely not expecting that. Turning the bottle face toward her, she examined the label. _Oh, it was Cider. That makes sense_. Then she smirked, shifting her gaze back to her boss. "Cider huh? I didn't realize I was at a children's birthday party."

"Well this is _Weiss'_ party after all..." Raven noted as the pair looked over to the wannabe punk, who appeared to be having _quite_ a lot of fun dancing with Summer - while the older woman was having a bit of trouble keeping up with the girl's seemingly drunken movements.

"She's certainly short enough to count." Cinder added.

Raven let out a small chuckle. "Better not let her hear you say that." She warned as she grabbed another beer for herself.

"Or what? She'll throw a temper tantrum?" Cinder wondered, her smirk still present.

Raven's chuckle quickly turned into a laugh as she placed a newly opened case of beer onto the bar counter. "Damn, if I knew feeding you a few shots would lead to this, I would've taken you out for drinks _weeks_ ago."

It took a moment for Cinder to realize what Raven just said. Getting drinks with the boss? Wow, that would sure be a change of pace. She _never_ would have been able to do that with Salem. There were a few times where she went out with Salem and the other chief officers of the company for business dinners, but those were not exactly _enjoyable_ , at least not in a social sense.

Uncapping her own bottle, Raven made her way back around the bar counter. "Come on, let's go be social again."

"If we must." Cinder smiled, following her boss to the occupied table. As the pair approached the booth, she noticed Yang was just finishing up a story... of some kind, and- Wait, why was there a bottle of beer nestled between her breasts? And how was it even able to _fit_ in there? Cinder took the quickest of looks down at her own chest. With an average C-cup, would she be able to fit a bottle there?

"And then I said, now _that's_ a katana!" Yang boasted, earning her a set of groans from the other occupants at the table.

 _Her boobs must be really cold._

"Was... that supposed to be funny?" Vernal honestly wondered.

"Yang that story lost its novelty _ages_ ago." Ruby sighed, taking a sip from her drink. "Tell something better."

"You assume she even _has_ any better stories?" Raven asked as she slid into the booth next to Vernal, with Cinder sliding in after her. Yang just pouted in response, causing the older woman to smirk at her.

"Hi aunt Raven!" Ruby greeted, changing the subject.

Raven smiled. "Hey there squirt, what'cha got there?"

"A Strawberry Sunrise!" Ruby beamed, holding up her red and orange drink.

"Man when are you gonna have something stronger?" Raven wondered. "I haven't seen you let loose since Yang's birthday _last year!"_

 _Ruby Rose drunk off her ass? I would've payed to see that._

Ruby quirked a brow. "Do you remember what happened at that party?" She inquired.

Raven let out a laugh. "How could I forget? You two get super drunk, bang in the restroom, and when Pyrrha here fell asleep you tried to kiss me!"

 _Damn. Never thought those two would've had the guts to do something like that._

Pyrrha nearly spit out her drink in response. "You _what?"_

 _And she didn't tell her wife about that last part. Yikes._

"Don't worry Pyr, she thought I was you... somehow." Raven attempted to assure.

 _How the hell do you confuse Raven for Pyrrha?_

"I was drunk!" Ruby whined. "And you were both wearing similar outfits!"

 _And I think you might need glasses Little Red._

Yang suddenly laughed, pulling her beer from between her breasts to take a drink. "And thus ended Rubes' _life of partying_ , as little as it was."

Ruby just rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that ended the last time you tried to take me out partying." Then she turned to the others at the table. "Alright, so a few years ago - back when I was still living with Yang in that cozy little apartment - she tells me that we should go out to this party she knew about. I'm thinking _Okay, we haven't actually hung out in a while since I've been busy with university, so why not_? Plus that was during a time where Yang was constantly bringing home _company_ when she went out alone, so maybe we could just have fun this time." She flashed a smirk over at her sister, who's smile quickly faded. "So we went and had a good time for a while... until she got drunk that is. I ended up having to wrangle her intoxicated ass home, where she decided to strip down naked and come onto me, thinking I was another one of her _companions_ , which as her sister was not fun." Yang then slumped down onto the table, letting out an audible groan. Ruby's smirk only grew. "Then came the vomiting. Once Yang here was done tryin' to get in my pants, she threw up. _A lot_. I was up until like, four in the morning cleaning up all that crap."

If Cinder did not think Ruby and Yang were already odd, she certainly did now. Though she was not going to just tell them that. Instead she simply took another sip from her cider.

All of a sudden Yang perked up. "Alright then sis, if you wanna play it like that, who wants to hear the story of Ruby's first experience with boobs?" She wondered with a grin.

Ruby's smirk was then wiped off her face, replaced with an expression of shock. "Oh gods please no."

 _This ought to be interesting_. Reaching into one of the bowls, Cinder grabbed a few chips, popping one into her mouth. _Would you look at that. Sour cream and onion._

"So, just like Ruby's story, this was a few years ago." Yang began. "I was hangin' around, watching some cartoons in my underwear - Ya know, _average night_ \- when I get a text from Rubes. At first I was pretty confused, 'cause she was supposed to be in the middle of a date with Pyrrha, then I saw what she sent." Pulling her scroll from her pocket, she navigated to... something, then cleared her throat. " _Yang help_. What is it Rubes? _Pyrrha is showing me her boobs I dunno what to do_. Like right now? _Yes right now_! And you're texting me? _I froze up_!" She read, switching between an imitation of her sister and her own voice. What followed were laughs from the occupants of the table - including Pyrrha surprisingly enough. Even Cinder managed a laugh, considering it was a rather funny story. The only one not laughing was Ruby, who just pouted.

"I'm fairly certain that wasn't the end of that fairly inappropriately-timed conversation." Pyrrha noted.

Yang quickly looked in the opposite direction of her sister - which was at the wall. "I dunno what you're talking about." She probably lied, going back to her drink.

"Oh I think you do." Pyrrha continued with a slight grin. "If I recall correctly, you requested a picture that proved I was indeed showing my breasts to Ruby." Then she briefly turned to the others. "It was a tactic I used to get her to be more forward." She explained before turning back to Yang. "So you could add it to some sort of _collection_."

"Yeah! You wanted to- _ah_!" Ruby squeaked as a tipsy Weiss deposited herself into her lap, while Summer continued past them towards the bathroom.

"Hey guys!" Weiss greeted with a grin. "What'cha talkin' about?" She wondered, taking a fairly large sip from her already-half-empty drink.

Quickly getting over the shock of having Weiss in her lap, beginning to cuddle up to her by wrapping her arms around her neck, Ruby grinned. "Oh we were just getting into the topic of Yang's attempted _titty pic collection_." She informed, to which Yang nearly spat out her drink.

"You said you'd never tell anyone about that!" Yang burst, trying to reach over to silence her sister, sadly to no avail due to Pyrrha and Weiss being in the way.

Ruby shifted her gaze to Yang, the grin still on her face. _"Whoops."_

Cinder could not help but crack a smile. That was probably the most sarcastic _whoops_ she had ever heard.

"Oooooo, how _naughty_!" Weiss cooed, smirking over at the blonde. "Can I see it?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "As much as I would _love_ to share, no one ever gave me any pics."

Weiss gasped in response. "I can always give you some!" Which caused Yang's eyes to immediately widen. Cinder could have sworn she saw a slight blush tint her cheeks, but she was unsure. The lighting in the bar was not exactly _amazing_.

"Careful there snowflake." Vernal warned.

"I didn't mean mine!" Weiss defended through a laugh before glancing down at her breasts. "You think anyone wants to see these bug bites?" Then she did something unexpected. Releasing Ruby from her cuddle-hug, she slid down the girl's body until she was completely under the table. To Cinder it felt _quite_ weird to feel Weiss touching her leg as she seemingly navigated towards Vernal. Once in front of her girlfriend - as far as Cinder could guess since she no longer felt movement - she opened her legs and used them to climb up Vernal before grabbing both of her breasts. "No no, people wanna see _these_ babies... Not too big, not too small... not too soft, not too firm, they're perfect!"

Cinder could barely suppress a snicker as Vernal's face flushed for the first time in memory, the tough facade cracking under the sudden attention. _I really hope I'm not the only one that thinks this is super weird._

"Why don't we do cake and presents now?" Raven suggested after a few moments of silence. "Before snowflake over here melts too much."

Suddenly Weiss perked up, looking to Raven with eyes full of excitement. " _Cake_? Yes please!"

Raven chuckled. "Alright then, get up from under the table and I'll go grab it." To which the wannabe punk promptly climbed up into Vernal's lap. Then Raven turned to Cinder. "Scooch."

 _Yes ma'am_. As much as Cinder wanted to respond with that again, she decided against it, knowing her boss was not too fond of being called ma'am. Instead she simply nodded before sliding out of the booth to allow Raven to stand up - just in time for Summer to get back from the bathroom.

"Did I hear it's time for cake?" Summer inquired.

"Yeah." Raven quickly mumbled as she passed her and disappeared into the back room. It was only one word, but Cinder could feel the tension in her voice. Even in her movements, she could tell her boss did _not_ want any one-on-one time.

Once Raven was gone, the rest of the group, minus Weiss and Vernal who were busy cuddling and... _teasing_ each other - Cinder tried not to think about that - began preparing for the consumption of the cake. Ruby took the mostly-empty bowls of chips off the table and brought them to the bar counter, Pyrrha and Yang gathered a couple extra chairs since a booth only seated six at maximum, and Cinder helped Summer gather the plastic plates and utensils - partially because if she did not, she would have had nothing to do other than stand around and drink her cider, which would have been rather awkward.

"May I ask you something?" Summer wondered as she pulled the set of plastic plates off of the bar counter.

Picking up the bundle of forks, Cinder nodded. "Sure." It was just going to be an innocent question... probably.

"Is... everything alright?" Summer asked. "I noticed you and Rae left for quite a while, I'm not causing an issue am I?"

 _Well shit_. Cinder hoped she was not going to ask something like that... but she did... And the younger woman had no idea how to answer. She could not just tell her that they were discussing Raven's history with them, it was none of Cinder's business in the first place! So she thought of something else. Wanting to keep Raven's privacy intact, she decided to instead come up with an excuse that pinned it on herself. Hopefully it was believable enough. "No not at all. I was just... feeling a little socially stifled, so Raven offered to spend some time with me until I was ready to return. Though I will admit it took a little longer than expected."

A moment of silence followed as the pair placed the plates and utensils onto the booth table, and Cinder started to get worried that Summer had figured out that she was lying. Thankfully she merely smiled. "That's understandable. Getting used to a new set of people can be tough." Then she let out a chuckle. "Especially when those people make up a group as strange as this one. But please, don't let that discourage you. Every one of them is wonderful in their own right."

Cinder got the feeling that Summer knew something was up, but for some reason she did not press. So she just offered a smile in return. "I won't." She managed to assure. Summer was a nice woman, but after the discussion she just had with Raven, she was probably the _last_ person Cinder should be talking to. It just felt... _awkward_. Thankfully the others soon gathered around the table, so at least she did not have to be alone with her. Everyone then spent the next few minutes sitting around the booth table, with Vernal, Weiss and Summer on one side, Ruby, Pyrrha and Yang on the other, and Cinder in one of the chairs. They chatted about various topics - Cinder was not really paying _too_ much attention - until Raven returned with a moderately sized cylindrical plastic container. Upon placing it as well as a fairly large knife and serving spatula onto the table, the conversations ceased as the wannabe punk audibly gasped.

"Is that it?" Weiss excitedly wondered.

"Nah, this is the cake for the _other_ birthday girl." Raven joked as she opened the container, revealing a somewhat messy but still _beautifully_ made desert. Chocolate shavings covered most of the cake, ten deep red cherries sat atop their own mounds of whipped cream on the top, and the words _Happy Birthday Weiss_ were scribbled - for lack of a better term - in the centre. That was Black Forest cake - better known as _Forever Fall_ cake in Vale. Strange... Cinder would have taken Weiss for a more... _vanilla_ type girl. Or maybe ice cream cake... if she did not hate working at that ice cream parlour so much.

"It looks amazing!" Weiss burst.

"Well I just hope it tastes good, 'cause it took me over a week to get this shit right." Raven noted.

Cinder's eye widened slightly - hopefully not enough for anyone to notice. Raven made that _herself? Damn_. She guessed that her boss was at least a _decent_ cook, considering she was forty-something years old, but she never imagined she would be good at baking cakes. _Raven Branwen. Bar owner. Accidental Mother. Badass... and Cake Baker Extraordinaire_ apparently.

"Well if it's anything like my sexy girlfriend over here..." Weiss started, not-so subtly pointing at Vernal with a grin. " _It's gonna taste just as good as it looks_!" Which caused everyone except her girlfriend - who's face flushed once again - to burst into laughter.

 _Wow, twice in one day._

After everyone had calmed down, Raven began cutting and serving the cake. Upon getting her piece, Cinder immediately wanted to dig in with how delicious it looked. But of course she was not just going to do that before the others had their pieces. That would be rude. Thankfully that did not take long, since Raven was a quick server. _Perhaps her years of owning a bar had something to do with that_. Cinder joked to herself. Though unfortunately her for boss, a certain birthday girl had another request before she could sit down.

"Can I get another White Atlesian?" Weiss asked with an innocent smile.

"Sure thing kiddo." Raven nodded as she placed her own slice of cake at her spot next to Cinder's. "Anyone else want another drink?"

"Another Strawberry Sunrise!" Ruby requested.

"Alright, one White Atlesian for the white Atlesian, and a Strawberry Sunrise for my boring niece." Raven teased - earning a pout from Ruby and a chuckle from Pyrrha - before heading towards the bar. From there the chatter resumed until she returned with the beverages. She handed the Strawberry Sunrise to Ruby, who thanked her, but when she handed the other drink to Weiss, the wannabe punk pulled her into an unexpected hug.

"You know Raven, I dunno if I've ever told you this... but you're _such_ a great friend..." She praised before reaching down to tap the older woman's rear. "And one _hot_ piece of ass." Which caused everyone - including Vernal and Raven herself - to burst into laughter. Even Cinder managed to fully laugh at the amusing drunken behaviour of the girl.

 _I wish I could see this kind of shit every day_. Cinder thought as the laughter died down and everyone began to dig into their cake. _Gods damn this is delicious_. Cinder never would have guessed that Raven could bake so well... or at all really. _Maybe she should look into selling the bar and starting up a cake shop_.

As Cinder continued to eat, she really began to see that this group was almost like a big family. The way they all interacted, conversed, playfully argued and just... enjoyed each others' company. Especially Weiss. Compared to the few times Cinder was working when she visited the bar after her own shift at work, the girl was like a ball of sunshine today. It _certainly_ did not fit her punk aesthetic, though that did not mean it was not entertaining. Quite the opposite in fact. Of course Cinder participated in the conversation, but honestly this whole group was amusing to just... _watch_.

Once everyone was finished their cake - and Yang, Ruby and Weiss were done their second pieces - it was time for presents, which Cinder was actually somewhat nervous for, as she would soon get to see what the others got for _the birthday girl_. Everyone collected their gifts and gathered back around the booth, where Weiss was _very_ excitedly waiting.

"So where's your gift Vernal?" Yang wondered as she placed a moderately sized box onto the booth table. "You didn't cheap out on poor Weissy did ya?"

"Of course not dumbass." Vernal answered with a slight scowl. _Damn that woman is scary_. "She's _wearing_ her present." Then she smirked over at her girlfriend. "At least her first one of the day."

Cinder had not noticed it before, but the jacket Weiss was just wearing was not the same one she had worn on the other two occasions they met. It was not _exceptionally_ different, at least as far as she could tell, but it was certainly of a higher quality.

"And I baked that cake you all enjoyed so much, so I'm off the hook." Raven commented.

Looking between the various boxes in front of her, Weiss shifted her gaze to the others, a grin spreading across her face. "Alright, which one of you sexy ladies wants me to open their gift first?" She wondered, taking a surprisingly small sip from her still-full White Atlesian.

"Why don't you open mine?" Summer offered with a smile.

" _Sounds good mama_." Weiss accepted as she reached for the largest gift on the table. Quickly ripping off the wrapping paper, she revealed what appeared to be a cook book, which caused her to nearly gasp as she looked back at Summer.

"Well I remember you mentioning how you wanted to learn how to cook better, so I got you a copy of one of my favourite recipe books." Summer explained. "I also included some personal notes inside for if you want to make any of the meals more interesting."

Weiss just smiled in response, raising from her seat to wrap Summer in a tight hug. "Thanks mom, I love you"

"You're very welcome sweetie." Summer acknowledged, planting a quick kiss on the girl's cheek as they separated. "I love you too."

Plopping back down into her seat, Weiss looked at the remaining two presents in front of her. "Who's next?"

"Do mine last." Yang requested. "I don't think these girls would be able to follow it up." She grinned, gesturing to Ruby and Pyrrha.

"Well then, it'd better be _some gift_." Weiss commented as she grabbed the smaller box. Once again she quickly ripped off the wrapping paper, this time revealing a black box. When she took off the lid, she actually gasped before pulling out a silver necklace, adorned with two charms; a snowflake and a red apple. "It's _beautiful_!" Then her brow slightly furrowed. "But what does this little apple mean?"

"It's a symbol." Pyrrha informed. "A ripe apple is said to represent a fertile womb."

"A _fertile womb_? You two do know that there's pretty much zero chance of me getting pregnant right?" Weiss wondered before she looked around at the other women. "Unless one of you has a secret dick I knew nothing about... which, not gonna lie, would be super hot..." Then she turned to Summer with a grin. "Or unless you'd be willing to let me rent out your husband for a night..." Which caused the older woman's eyes to widen, a slight blush tinting her cheeks as the others laughed.

"Hey, down girl." Vernal commanded between sips of her water.

Weiss let out a chuckle. "I'm just kidding!" She assured as she placed the necklace back into the box and got up to hug Ruby and Pyrrha. "Even if I'm not gonna get pregnant, it's a great gift. Thanks you two."

"Well we're glad you like it!" Ruby smiled as she and her wife were released by the drunken girl.

As Weiss sat back down in front of the remaining gift, she looked up at Yang, who grinned.

"Best for last!"

"Guess we'll see about that blondie." Weiss grinned back, grabbing the box and tearing off the wrapping paper. Upon seeing what was within, her eyes widened in shock, her mouth dropping open. Several seconds passed in silence before she slowly unwrapped the rest of the gift, revealing what appeared to be some kind of special edition DVD and Blue Ray box set of the first three seasons of... _Truffle Troop_? Cinder had never heard of that.

"Told ya." Yang commented.

Weiss was at a loss for words, which was rather amusing to see. "I... Yang how did you get your hands on this? I've been looking for somewhere that actually has this fuckin' set in stock for _ages!"_

Yang just smiled. "Let's just say I've got connections."

"And by that she means she bought it off some scalper in Vacuo for hundreds of lien extra." Ruby noted.

"She doesn't need to know that!" Yang hissed, reaching over to try to cover her sister's mouth.

"And she spent the last couple weeks worried sick that it wasn't gonna get here in time!" Ruby continued with a grin, avoiding Yang's attempts at silencing her.

As the two siblings continued to struggle over the silence of the younger one, Weiss just sat there watching, a smile on her face as she likely thought about how much trouble her friend went through to buy her that present. Eventually she stood up, quickly making her way over to Yang and wrapping her in quite the bear hug, a bright smile spread across her face. "Thank you so much Yang, I can't wait to watch the _shit_ out of this. I love it."

"I knew you would." Yang hummed. "Happy birthday punk stuff."

Cinder could not help but smile at the rather cute display of affection between the two girls. She might not be that close with anyone in the group at the present time, but honestly, she hoped she would be someday. They were good people, and she was lucky to have met them.

Once Weiss had released Yang from their moderately long hug, the wrapping paper was cleaned up, the presents were moved onto the booth table that held Cinder's _thankfully_ still unopened gift, the group went back to just talking and having some relaxed fun. Though that did not last very long, as the wannabe punk soon finished her White Atlesian, which seemed to bring with it another _personality_ of the girl. It was as if after each drink or two she consumed, she was same kind of different version of herself. How odd.

Upon seeing Weiss slam down her cup with a satisfied breath, a grin began to spread across Yang's face. "Was that drink number five?"

"You know it!" Weiss beamed. "Say hello to the most confident woman alive!" Slamming her elbow onto the table, she held out her hand to her blonde friend, looking ready to arm wrestle. _"Let's do this little girl."_

Yang let out a chuckle. "You and I both know how that'd end Weissy."

"Yeah, with me kicking your ass!" Weiss boasted, much to everyone's doubt. "What's wrong, you _chicken_ blondie?"

Yang's chuckle quickly turned into a laugh. " _Okay_ punk stuff, if you wanna arm wrestle me, let's do it." She accepted, placing her elbow onto the table and locking hands with Weiss. "Alright mom, call it."

"Well this'll be quick." Raven mumbled. "Three, two, one, go."

From the moment it began, there was no doubt in the air; Weiss had the strength of a toothpick. She struggled and strained, trying with all her might to prevail, but it was all for naught. Arm wrestling did not run in her veins. Nor did it for Yang, she just happened to be physically fit, and far more sober... even though Weiss had only seemingly had five drinks. _What a lightweight_.

After a solid amusing minute of the wannabe punk trying her hardest to beat Yang, she was finally ready to admit defeat. "Alright Xiao-Long, you win this round, but I'll get you one day!"

Yang just grinned. "Oh I'm _sure_ you will Weiss."

A moment passed by with everyone looking to Weiss, seemingly waiting for some kind of retort from her, but no such thing came. Instead, she perked up, an excited look in her eyes.

"Let's play a game!"

Vernal immediately quirked a brow. "A _game_? What are we, children?"

"No no, a drinking game!" Weiss corrected.

"Now that I can get behind." Raven commented before taking a sip from her beer. "What're you thinking?"

"Well I'm good with pretty much anything, so one of you should pick!" Weiss smiled.

Another few moments passed by as everyone likely attempted to think of a drinking game they could all play, until Pyrrha spoke up. "How about _never have I ever_?"

"That's a great idea Pyrrha!" Weiss burst. "Let's do that!"

Yang offered a smile of her own. "Sounds like a plan birthday girl." Then she looked around at the others. "Everyone got a full drink?" To which the other women examined their beverages. A few of them needed a refill or just another drink, so Raven volunteered to get those - along with refilling and bringing over the bowls of chips, which Cinder was quite happy about. She could go for some more sour cream and onion chips after that cake. Then once everyone had full glasses - or bottles - they got started.

"So who would like to go first?" Pyrrha wondered.

Yang quickly raised her hand. "I've got a good one." She grinned. " _Never have I ever_ banged in public."

"Damnit." Ruby mumbled as she and Pyrrha both took a drink.

"Alright well I wasn't expecting that." Yang admitted. "When did you do that?"

Pyrrha giggled. "It's something that seems to happen anytime we hike for an extended period of time." She explained, to which Ruby attempted to suppress a growing blush. "I love being in nature, and making love beneath the sun is a great offering to the Spring Maiden."

"Just make sure you're being safe out there." Summer added.

That only caused Ruby's blush to grow. "We know mom!" Then she glared over at her sister. " _Okay_ , if you wanna play it like that, _never have I ever_ been finger blasted in a movie theatre." She grinned.

"Well played Rubes." Yang acknowledged before taking a drink.

"But why a _movie theatre_ of all places?" Vernal questioned.

"Well when you live with not only your parents but your _younger sister_ , you gotta find other places to fool around." Yang explained. "So after spending a little time _on my knees_ giving what my boyfriend at the time Sage described as _the best head he'd even gotten_ \- _and nearly getting jizz in my hair_ \- he returned the favour. And _damn_ did that guy know what he was doing down there."

 _My gods these people share way too much._

"And that's something I definitely didn't need to know about my daughter." Summer groaned.

Yang let out a nervous chuckle, running a hand through her hair. "Sorry mom."

"My turn!" Weiss excitedly volunteered. " _Never have I ever_ done drugs!"

 _Well shit_. Cinder thought to herself before she and Vernal - who she saw in the corner of her eye - took a drink. Then she noticed everyone was looking at her. _Looks like they want a story... Really hope I don't get fired for telling them this_. "Well, like many others I knew, I smoked a bit of weed every once in a while in high school, but after graduating and moving on to university, I stopped. It wasn't until years later at a rave my girlfriend somehow convinced me to go to, that we um... _dropped some ecstasy_." She somewhat hesitantly admitted. "I don't remember much of what happened that night, but it must have been fun considering we woke up in bed with a Faunus couple the next morning. They were lovely people, so we decided to take them out for breakfast. Though we all understood that it was a one-time thing, so we went our separate ways after that."

"Wait wait, you were in a _foursome_?" Yang gasped, to which the older woman nodded. " _Damn_ Cinder, you've got my respect."

Cinder managed a small chuckle. "Thanks Yang."

A few moments of silence passed before Summer spoke up. "I've got one. _Never have I ever_ gotten black-out drunk." She informed, to which Yang, Cinder, Weiss and Raven each took a drink - with the wannabe punk taking a notably larger one than the others. _That girl really wants to get as drunk as possible._

" _Never have I ever_ shoplifted." Pyrrha proposed. Unsurprisingly to Cinder, Raven and Vernal both took drinks, but then a third person did the same; _Ruby_. She never knew _sweet little Ruby Rose_ was even capable of stealing, and judging by the others' faces, no one else was expecting it either.

Summer raised her brow in response. " _Excuse me_ young lady?"

"It wasn't my idea I swear! It was all the way back in grade five!" Ruby defended. "We were playing truth or dare, and a friend dared me to steal a pack of those pop rock candies from a store near our school."

Luckily Summer seemed to accept that. Cinder did _not_ want anything killing the mood, she was actually having a lot of fun.

"How about you Cinder?" Weiss wondered. "What's something _you've_ never done?"

That was a good question. What _was_ something Cinder had never done? Well, there were certainly quite a few things she had not done before, but which one could she use? Then she looked at the girl who asked her in the first place, and it gave her an idea. " _Never have I ever_ had sex in the workplace." She grinned.

" _Oh you're good_." Weiss acknowledged before she, Vernal and _Summer_ of all people each took a drink, her eyes also widening at the sight of her "mom" joining them in that act. It seemed that everyone else was just as shocked, as they all turned their their gazes to Summer, hoping for some kind of story on how a woman as sweet as her could ever do something as... well, vulgar as that. It certainly baffled Cinder.

"Well it was late, you kids were at with friends, and Tai was taking too long... So I decided to... you know... _take advantage of the situation_." Summer explained, a slight blush beginning to tint her cheeks.

Yang blinked. "Like, in his office?"

Summer nodded. "We cleaned thoroughly."

Ruby looked like she was ready to throw up. _"I did my homework in that office..."_

" _Very_ thoroughly." Summer assured, though neither of her daughters seemed convinced.

"Details!" Weiss burst.

"No gods please no details!" Ruby pleaded.

"Did he bend you over his desk?" Weiss excitedly wondered.

Ruby looked about ready to feint. "Kill me." Pyrrha attempted to comfort her with a gentle back rub, but it appeared fruitless.

Then Raven made it worse. "Multiple times probably. She likes doggy style."

Summer's eyes went wide. "Raven!" The woman in question just smirked in response.

"Weiss, Pyrrha, _someone_ , kill me." Ruby groaned.

Pyrrha chuckled. "Maybe later sweetie."

"So did you swallow?" Raven asked, her smirk still present.

Ruby immediately turned to glare at the step-mother. _"Aunt Raven I'm gonna kill you."_

Raven just laughed. "You wouldn't be the first pipsqueak."

" _Someone please go next_." Ruby sighed.

"Never have I ever skinny dipped." Vernal proposed, to which Ruby, Pyrrha and Summer each took a drink.

"Ugh, damnit!" Ruby groaned once again.

Summer let out a chuckle. "Let me guess, was it on your honeymoon?"

"Ye-" Ruby started before realizing what her mother was implying. "I don't wanna play this game anymore."

Cinder managed a grin. "What an enlightening evening."

"Alright squirt, just for you; _never have I ever_ been outside the country." Raven suggested, causing Ruby, Pyrrha, Summer, and Weiss to drink - the latter finishing off her beverage. A very tame round, no one really needing any stories this time. Even Cinder could guess why each of them drank. Ruby, Pyrrha and Summer all left the country for the honeymoons - much like Cinder herself was planning to - and Weiss initially came from Atlas.

And then Pyrrha just _had_ to make it worse. " _Never have I ever_ been invited to a threesome." She grinned at her wife.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby and Summer burst in unison, before the latter and Yang were required to drink.

Cinder debated whether or not she should drink, considering she had been in _several_ threesomes in the past while still with Neo, but none of them ever came from invitation, rather she was just roped into them. So she decided against it. "I sense an interesting story." She instead commented.

"Nope! Nothing happened!" Ruby attempted to assure, which Cinder did not buy for one second.

"An ex-girlfriend of Ruby's once asked Yang if she wanted to be in a threesome with them." Pyrrha explained. "And yes, she was aware they were sisters, considering she then tried to give Summer the same offer."

"Oh gods please don't remind me." Summer groaned, prompting some of the others - aside from Ruby and Yang - to laugh. "That girl was sweet, but _such_ a weirdo."

Weiss giggled as she began cuddling up to the older woman. "It's okay if you were tempted mom. We still love you."

"I wasn't tempted!" Summer promised.

"Not gonna lie, I was a little bit." Yang admitted. She received a set of _very_ shocked looks in response. "But I never would've done it! Who do you guys take me for? Some kinda homewrecker?"

"Well you have told me that you're gonna throw yourself at my wife before." Ruby noted.

"As a joke!" Yang defended.

"And you flirt with Weiss like, every time she comes here to visit." Vernal added.

"Wh- I do not!" Yang quickly denied, which actually made Cinder think that the opposite was true. "At least not on purpose... I unconsciously flirt with everyone!"

Everyone seemed to accept that one, so Weiss took her chance to speak up. "My turn!" She smiled. " _Never have I ever_ walked in on a family member in the bathroom!"

Summer let out a chuckle. "Being the mother of two baby girls, that sort of thing was a common occurrence." She informed before taking a drink.

Yang then also took a drink. "At least you've never walked in on your mother on the toilet... or in the shower..." She shuddered. "All 'cause she's not used to having to lock the bathroom door."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Well _excuse me_ , I lived alone for over fifteen years before you started staying with me, so gimme a break."

"Speaking of walking in on people, _never have I ever_ had a relative walk in on me while having sex." Summer proposed. The only two to drink that time were Yang and Pyrrha, the only one surprising anybody being the latter.

"That sort of stuff was inevitable when living with Yang." Ruby commented. "I can't tell you how many times I came home from a class to find the apartment filled with moaning. Like there was this one time a prof let us out early, so I decided to jump on the bus and head home. It was still maybe mid-afternoon so I didn't expect to find anything, but sadly that wasn't the case when I walked in the front door. Instead I found Yang being full-nelsoned by a guy on our living room couch!" She shuddered. _"I saw everything..."_

Yang then let out a nervous chuckle. "Okay Rubes, that's enough about that..."

"I dunno Yang, I feel like I'm learning a lot here." Cinder smirked.

"Oh gods please don't encourage her." Yang groaned.

"And then there was this time I was trying to study for exams!" Ruby continued, much to her sister's displeasure. "It was late at night, and I was reading over my notes for class I _wasn't doing so hot in_ , but I couldn't focus due to the... _noises_ coming from Yang's room. I tried my best to ignore them, but after I while I couldn't take it anymore, so I marched in there to tell them to shut the hell up." She sighed. "Little did I know I would walk in on my sister with her legs wrapped around some girl's head, _right_ in the middle of an orgasm." Then she turned to said sister. "I saw your o-face Yang! Your _o-face!"_

"What about you Pyr? What's your story?" Yang promptly inquired, likely hoping it would take the focus off of her. Luckily for the blonde, it actually seemed to work, as all eyes turned to the redhead.

"Oh, well, it's not even that interesting of a story-" Pyrrha started.

"I still wanna heart it!" Weiss pushed. "I love your stories!"

Pyrrha offered a smile to the drunken girl. "Very well." She agreed. "The first and thankfully _only_ time it happened to me was about seven years ago now, while I was still with Jaune. We had been together for quite some time, and we believed we were ready to take the next step in our relationship - that being losing our virginities together. We spent some time doing our research so we knew what to expect, as well as planning _when_ we could do it, as both of our families tended to be home a lot - Especially his, considering he had not only his parents to worry about, but his seven sisters. Even so, eventually we were able to be alone, and as far as first times go, it was wonderful... At least if you excuse our little... _interruption."_

"Did his dad walk in on you two?" Weiss gasped. "Did his _mom?"_

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "Not quite. We were just getting into it, finding a slow yet still pleasurable rhythm, when we hear the front door open, which scared us half to death since we were told the house would be ours for the day. Luckily it was just one of his sisters who had forgotten her scroll, though unfortunately that didn't stop her from wondering where we were and eventually checking Jaune's room... which was where we were currently making love." Then she chuckled again. "Honestly I'm not sure how either of us were able to finish after that, or even continue for that matter. Though I can safely say the next time I saw her was _very_ awkw- _AH_!" She squeaked as an intoxicated Weiss crawled her way up onto the redhead's lap to cuddle her.

Apparently no one else noticed that while Pyrrha was telling her story, Weiss had slowly slid under the table to cuddle with her. Cinder noticed, but decided against telling anyone, as she thought it would be amusing to see what happened. And like she expected, Pyrrha did not disappoint with that reaction - especially considering how hard everyone laughed at it.

"I love you Pyrrha..." Weiss mumbled into the redhead's shoulder as she relatively tightly hugged her.

Yang chuckled. "Seems like Weissy's gettin' a little too drunk to keep going."

Looking down at the drunken girl cuddling up to her, Pyrrha giggled. "It appears so."

"Maybe we should look into starting to clean up." Raven suggested.

Up until that point, Cinder had not realized how tired she was - even though she had gotten a full nightmare-free sleep the night before. Man, being _this_ social after so long spent alone was taxing.

"Sounds good." Vernal nodded, to which everyone else seemed to agree. "Was gettin' tired of you bunch anyway." She added with a smirk.

And so the group began to clean up, well, some of the group. Raven, Yang and Vernal did most of the cleaning, so that left the rest of the women to just continue talking. Normally that would mean Cinder would not have much to do, since the others were much closer with one another, but her level of tipsiness actually helped... Surprisingly enough. Though she did not have to be social for that long, as the clean-up was quickly completed and everyone got up and started getting ready to disband for the night. Ruby, Summer and Pyrrha discussed who was sober enough to drive home - all of them seemed relatively fine in Cinder's eyes - while Vernal attempted to pry her girlfriend away from the latter of the three. Eventually she was successful, but once the wannabe punk was no longer clinging to Pyrrha, she turned her eyes to Cinder.

Sauntering over to the unsuspecting older woman, Weiss wrapped her arms around her, eliciting a small gasp. Vernal just chuckled at the unexpected display of affection. "You know Cinder, I don't know you that well but I love you... you listened to me rant about my shitty job, and helped me see the brighter side of it... I thank you..."

Cinder just blinked, having no clue how to respond. The tipsiness could not save her this time. "Oh, um, you're welcome... Weiss... Glad I could help." She looked around, wondering what to do, as the girl was not releasing her.

"Alright babe, let poor Cinder go, time to get your drunk ass home." Vernal requested, reaching over and gently getting her girlfriend to release the older woman. "Sorry about that, she's a pretty touchy drunk."

"Clearly." Cinder acknowledged. "Though I think she confuses the word love for appreciate."

"Somethin' like that." Vernal responded before taking Weiss to say her goodbyes while she collected the presents.

It took a little while - specifically for Weiss, as she spent a long time telling people she loved them - but soon enough everyone had bid farewell and departed, leaving Raven and Cinder as the only people left in the bar. The younger woman was quite tired if she was being honest, and combine that with the amount of alcohol in her system, she did not want to make the trek home - Even though it was a mere few blocks away. So she looked to Raven with an innocent smile.

"So, is that couch offer still up for grabs?"

* * *

 _What a perfect day_. Teased by her girlfriend, surrounded by loving friends - the closest thing Weiss had to a family - and the best part? It was not even over yet. Vernal had spoken _all day_ of a second gift, and judging from the amount of time she spent with a hand touching Weiss' crotch or her breasts, she was _fairly certain_ she knew what it was - and _boy_ did it excite her. She had a feeling they would be having sex at some point after the party, but as they rode back home on her girlfriend's motorcycle, but with how much she had teased her throughout the day, there was no way Vernal was getting away without fucking her brains out.

Once the pair was back in their apartment and all the presents Weiss had received at the party were placed onto the kitchen table - including Cinder's still unopened one - she pounced, practically jumping into Vernal's arms and wrapping her legs around her waste. Sadly before she could attack her girlfriend's lips with her own, Vernal stopped her.

"What is it?" Weiss questioned, slightly annoyed that her advances were halted.

"You sure you don't wanna open Cinder's gift first?" Vernal wondered, a grin beginning to spread across her face.

Weiss furrowed her brow. Her girlfriend was delaying sex... for her to open a present? "I'll open it later." She quickly responded before meeting Vernal in a heated kiss. Whatever the gift may be, it could wait. She had a date with a dark red strap-on.

"I dunno, I might've taken a little peak." Vernal started in between kisses. "I think you're gonna wanna open it."

Weiss broke the kiss in response, raising her brow at Vernal. "Oh did you now?" Her girlfriend merely grinned. "Well okay then, I guess I'll have to open it instead of having sex with you." She faux-sighed as she was put down.

"We'll see." Vernal smirked as Weiss approached the kitchen table.

 _We'll see? Just what the hell is in that bag_? Weiss wondered to herself as she grabbed said bag off of the table. Pulling out the tissue paper, she was greeted by a small box. She then grabbed the box and took it out of the bag, revealing something she _never_ could have guess would be in there: An egg vibrator. Weiss' eyes widened at the sight of it, a blush beginning to tint her cheeks. She could not believe that _Cinder_ of all people, that fairly quiet and reserved woman, bought her a _sex toy_. Was she secretly a freak?

Then from behind Weiss, Vernal burst out laughing. "Told ya."

As Weiss stared down at the small box in her hands, it actually gave her an idea, one that sent a wave of heat through her body. Now hopefully Vernal would be on board. Much like Weiss, she liked experimenting, but it just depended on what it was. But fuck it, having this toy in her hands was making Weiss feel _adventurous_. Taking a deep breath, she turned to her girlfriend. "Do you think we could... use it?"

Walking over to the wannabe punk, Vernal wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into a quick kiss. "Anything for the birthday gal."

Weiss' blush only grew as the pair met in a much more heated kiss.

This was going to be a fun night.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

And that does it for this set of _One Last Chance_ chapters! I will be returning to Aftercare for a little while for another set of those chapters, so if you haven't checked that out, considering doing it! You might like it (it's nice and fluffy after the first 3 chapters, at least as far as the first 10 chapters that are out at the time of posting this).

Anywho, this story will be on hiatus for probably the next few months, so thank you so much for those who have read and supported it so far, and I can't wait to return. And as always, your feedback fuels me!

But before I go, here's a little surprise.

* * *

 _Everything is garbage._

 _You find something you care about... and it's taken from you. Your home, your dream job... the love of your life. I should just learn to never love anything ever again. Maybe that'll help. No love, no attachment, no loss._

 _How long have I even been laying here? How did I even end up on the ground? Didn't I fall from... ugh, I can't remember... but I don't care... It doesn't matter anyway. Nothing does._

 _Oh... my cigarette's almost out. How many is that now? I dunno, but I could use another one._

 _Ow, fuck. My arm hurts... Well, more than every other part of my body... and I can't move it. Why can't I move my arm? Is it broken? Maybe it's broken... Figures. I guess I could just lay here... It's all I'm really good for anymore anyway._

 _The stars are really bright tonight..._

 _I wish Velvet was here._


	14. Opening Up

**Author's Note** : Alright, well, so much for switching to Aftercare.

As for my reasoning, unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to continue it, at least not right now. Long story short, volume 6 and the fandom in general kinda killed my desire to write the Blake and Yang scenes, and since they're an important part of the story, I can't exactly go on without them. So for now it'll be back to OLC, with planning for another fic in the background.

But that aside, enjoy!

* * *

 _One year, six months ago_

Weiss awoke to a cold bed... and a pounding headache. The former was not surprising, given the fact that she was in Winter's hotel room - though the same would still be true even if she was back in Atlas - and the latter was an unfortunate consequence of having gone out drinking alone the prior night. _Gods damnit I am never drinking that heavily again... Wait a minute... How did I get back to the hotel_? Weiss wondered to herself, her eyes still closed as she enjoyed the comfort of the bed, having no desire to get up. Attempting to go through the events from the previous night, she was only able to recall bits and pieces after a certain point, thanks to the amount of alcohol she consumed. Weiss remembered taking a cab to some small bar, meeting and flirting with a really hot waitress as she quickly got shit-faced drunk, but... sadly none of those memories were of how she got from the bar back to the hotel.

Bringing a hand up to her face to wipe the sleep from her eyes, Weiss observed her surroundings. Thankfully the lights were off, so she did not have to suffer, but at the same time... she did not recognize the room... and a pang of fear suddenly shot through her. Brick walls, band posters, shit _everywhere... This was definitely not the hotel room_. Shooting up from the now-unknown bed, she frantically searched the room to attempt to find some kind of familiarity, anything at all. Unfortunately there was nothing she could see. Weiss had just been sleeping in a bed she did not recognize, in a room she did not recognize, likely in an _apartment_ or _house_ she did not recognize. Then she noticed something - not about the room, but about herself. She was currently naked, which certainly confused her. What possible reason could there be for her to-

Wait a second.

Did she drunkenly sleep with someone? _Oh shit..._ Throwing the covers off, Weiss crawled to the edge of the bed and found what appeared to her clothes and underwear from the prior night strewn all over the floor, along with a fair number of other articles of clothing. _Son of a bitch_. Quietly jumping out of the bed and steadying her somewhat wobbly legs, she collected her clothes and quickly threw them on - but not too hastily to forget to cover the scars along her thighs. She could only hope that they were not noticed at any point. Feeling her heart beginning to pound in her chest, she approached and slowly opened the bedroom door as quietly as she possible could, revealing an empty hallway. Taking a moment to listen, it did not sound like anyone else was around - a huge relief - which slightly eased Weiss' fear of having to confront the person she fucked the prior night. _Thank gods_. Slowly making her way down the hallway toward what she hoped was the exit, she found herself passing a kitchen, where she stupidly decided to turn, laying her eyes upon the very thing she dreaded seeing; the woman she slept with - at least that was who she thought it was - who appeared to be just about to toast couple pieces of bread, wearing only a band tank top and a pair of black panties. After staring at her for a couple seconds, Weiss' eyes widened. _It's the waitress from last night... Damn, she really is as hot as I remember._

Upon noticing the heiress, the woman offered a small grin. "Hey, sleep well last night?"

Weiss blinked. "I, um, good... I slept good- I mean well... I slept well..." She stammered. "So what... _happened_ last night? I don't really remember much..."

"Well, you stumbled into the bar _already_ tipsy, got drunk off your ass, batted your lashes at everyone - fucking entertaining by the way - then you started throwing the cheesiest lines at me." Vernal laughed. "I thought, nah she's just drunk, but you kept at it every time I walked by, I figured _hey, this girl's cute, haven't gotten laid in a while_ , so one thing led to another and _bam_ , here we are."

Weiss did not respond, instead she merely continued to stare at the woman in front of her in near-horror, not able to believe what she was hearing. _Oh gods what have I done..._ All Weiss had wanted to do was have a little drunken fun as a part of the _last hurrah_ that was coming to Vale with Winter, but like the fucking moron she was, she ended up having a one-night stand with some stranger she met at a bar. _Now what am I going to do_? She wondered to herself, already feeling her heart rate beginning to increase. Did this woman want her to leave? Did she want her to _stay_? What even was her name? _Shit now she's staring at me..._

"Hey, you okay over there?" The woman asked, pulling Weiss from her unpleasant thoughts. "You're spacing out on me."

In her infinite wisdom, Weiss responded with the only thing that came to mind. "No, no not in the slightest I... I just wanted to have an enjoyable night alone before I... go back to Atlas..." She admitted shakily. "Instead I got drunk and slept with a stranger and I don't even remember any of it! I mean for gods sake I don't even remember your _name!"_

The woman just slightly chuckled in response. "It's Vernal. And you're... Weiss Schnee right?" To which the heiress nodded.

"I just..." Weiss started with a sigh. "Alright, was this just some lust-driven fling? Like do you want me to leave now? Or am I allowed to vent about how honestly fucked in the head I feel?"

After a moment of likely pondering her answer, Vernal shrugged. "I've got the day off, so sure, step into my office." She suggested, gesturing to the couch in the living area. "Couch is better for emotional shit."

"Okay..." Weiss nodded as she followed the other woman into the fairly messy living area and joined her on the slightly worn-down couch.

"So what's got you down sweet cheeks?" Vernal inquired, certainly making herself comfortable as she draped an arm around the back of the couch, waiting for the other woman to start.

"Gods... where do I even begin?" Weiss wondered, hardly realizing she had spoken out loud. But it was a start, so she continued. "My father is a controlling... asshole... He _continually_ takes my freedoms from me the moment he doesn't approve of my actions. Like I was dating this Faunus girl in high school, Neon." Weiss grimaced, clenching her hands together. "She wasn't the most _professional_ person around, but she made me happy, but of course my father didn't like her, so he threatened to have her expelled if I didn't dump her! We hadn't even been dating a month!" She felt a lump in her throat, and forced herself to take a sharp breath. Her shoulders fell with a sigh, as a familiar ache settled in her chest. "Everyone avoided me after they found out what happened... so I had to spend the rest of my time at that hellish school alone... What kind of father does that to his daughter!?"

"A pretty shitty one from the sounds of it." Vernal answered.

"Oh you don't know the _half_ of it." Weiss continued. "When I turned eighteen, my father forced me to go out with this guy he handpicked from a group of _suitors_ , which honestly didn't bother me _that_ much until I learned I was required to have sex with him at the end of the night. All because my father _approved_ of him." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I lost my virginity to some stuck up rich guy that I didn't even _know."_

"Sucks." Vernal commented. "Beats getting fucked at a party by some jackass who thinks it's alright to shove his dick down your throat just because you gave him some foreplay out of obligation. Stupid son of a bitch was lucky he got away with only a broken nose. Hell I don't even remember him finishing me, had to do it myself when I got home."

"I suppose it does..." Weiss mumbled. "It's just the whole thing left me with such a sour taste in my mouth." She sighed again. "At least my first time with a woman was better..."

Vernal quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? Do tell."

"Well... it was a few months after my I turned eighteen. By that point I had lost all of my school friends due to the Neon incident, I was a social pariah, no one wanted to be seen with me, hell the only person who even _talked_ to me was one of our maids, Violet." Weiss explained, a small smile spreading across her face. "She would sometimes spend hours speaking with me. She was so nice, so intelligent... so beautiful... I couldn't help but fall for her. So one day I just... took a chance." Her smile quickly grew. "Nothing could describe how wonderful she was, I was a virgin, and she was... well... appreciably older than me... but sadly our happiness did not last, thanks to that... _asshole_ I call a father, who fired her the moment he found out, and threatened to sue her for sexual assault if she ever breathed a word or tried to contact me again..."

"That's rough." Vernal admitted.

"Every time I find something that makes me happy, my father rips it away from me." Weiss murmured. "I mean he didn't even let me choose a university to go to! Fortunately I was able to defer it due to some... issues I started having after graduating high school..." She explained, bringing a hand up to her thigh. "But I was still forced to take a job at the SDC, working under my father. Thankfully it wasn't the _worst_ experience I've ever had, and it gave me the chance to be around my sister more, which was really nice. She's been the one silver lining in all of this..." Her gaze fell once more. "I'm just so... _tired_ of everything, the loneliness, my fathers control, my entire _life_. The only good thing to happen to me of late is this trip, and even then it's technically a business outing! I'm surprised I was able to convince father of its merit. Perhaps he thought I would gain experience... I suppose he wouldn't be entirely wrong." Then she sighed once more. "Sadly, I only have another day here before I have to go... back to that... _cage_ of a house... I wish I didn't have to."

"So don't."

Weiss blinked. "What?"

Vernal shrugged. "You don't like it, leave."

Was Weiss hearing that right? "I can't just leave!" She insisted.

"Why?"

"Because I have... responsibilities!" Weiss attempted to defend.

Vernal rolled her eyes. "That you hate, so fuck 'em. What do they matter?"

"They, they... I... how..." Weiss stammered, trying to find any kind of justification.

"Well it's not like daddy can do anything, just don't go home." Vernal suggested.

"But... where do I go?" Weiss asked.

"Won't your sister let you stay?" Vernal wondered.

Weiss sighed. "She'll just tell me to go back until my education is done..."

"Friends?"

"I don't wanna force myself on them." Weiss mumbled.

Bringing a hand up to her chin, Vernal looked over at the rest of her apartment. "Alright fine, crash on my couch. You got money?"

"What? I uh I... I have a personal account." Weiss hesitantly informed.

"Can anyone touch it?" Vernal inquired.

Weiss shook her head. "No, I don't think so... maybe."

Vernal let out a small sigh. "Make a new account and transfer your shit. Help pay for food and you can stay here."

Weiss could not believe what she was hearing. "Uh... Vernal I... really?"

"No, I said it all for kicks." Vernal joked.

Weiss immediately froze. _Oh... so she wasn't really serious..._ She could already feel her eyes tearing up. _I guess ending it doesn't seem so bad..._

Vernal's eyes widened. "Shit no, no I'm kidding! You can stay I mean it, seriously." She shook her hands in panic

It took a moment for Weiss to realize what the other woman had just said. After _years_ spent alone, her life _controlled_ by her father, there was a way out of it all. A way out of her father's grasp, out of her shitty job, out of her shitty _life_... And it was being offered to her by a complete stranger. This time Weiss was unable to stop the tears from flowing down her face as she practically tackled Vernal with a hug.

"Thank you..."

* * *

 _Present day_

What a lovely start to a morning.

Not only did Weiss awaken cuddled up to Vernal's chest - one of her favourite positions to be in - but she was cuddled up to her _naked_ chest. Which of course, made it even better. Normally Weiss was not one to objectify other people - unless she was drunk like the prior night - but she would safely say that she loved her girlfriend's breasts any day. _They're certainly better than the bug bites I have_. She thought to herself as she tightened her hug around Vernal, snuggling as close as she could to her warm body. _I wish we could cuddle more often..._

Rather than opening her eyes and sitting up - as she had _zero_ desire to do either given how comfortable she was - Weiss instead reminisced about the amazing birthday party the occurred last night. _What a perfect day_... Teased _mercilessly_ by her girlfriend throughout the afternoon and evening, surrounded by loving friends, the closest thing she had to a family aside from Winter, and of course receiving some of the best sex of her life after coming home... She could not have possibly asked for a better day.

But at the same time... it also left Weiss wanting more. Not in regards to her friends, if anything _she_ should be doing more for _them_ , rather... with Vernal. Of course Weiss could never repay her for what she did when they first met, but it was times like this, after a day of being _showered_ with attention, where something felt like it was... _missing_. She and Vernal had been dating for over a year, and there was one word that she could not recall _ever_ having been said. Well, at least in the way she wanted. There had been plenty of times where her girlfriend had said she loved her big baby blue eyes, or her small pale ass, or that thing she did with her tongue when eating her out... But never how she loved _her_.

 _So_... maybe it was time to break out the L-word... and not lesbian. Weiss had broken that out a while ago... technically. Asking to rent out Summer's husband for the night did not count. She was drunk. _Very_ drunk.

Unwrapping her arms from around Vernal, Weiss slowly lifted herself up into a sitting position. As she gazed down at the sleeping form of her girlfriend, a smile spread across her face. Vernal could sometimes be so... stern when she was awake, that she almost looked like a completely different person when asleep. She was beautiful. Sadly Weiss could not accomplish her goal without her awake.

Reaching down to gently caress her girlfriend's cheek, Weiss spoke softly. _"Vernal... baby..."_

The sleeping woman soon stirred, bringing a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes as she looked up Weiss. _"Ngh... what is it..."_

Weiss took a deep breath. She wanted to take things further with Vernal in their relationship, and this was the way to do it. _All you have to do it say it_. She told herself. "So... we've been dating for quite some time now, and I've been thinking that maybe we should... take things to the next level... and..." She trailed off, nervous to actually _say_ those three specific words. _You can do it_. So she took another deep breath. "Vernal, I... I love you."

Vernal just offered a small grin as she stared up at her girlfriend. "Yeah, I know snowflake." She responded before turning over to go back to sleep.

It took a moment for Weiss to register what the other woman had just said, but once it did, it just echoed in her head. It took a lot to put herself out there like that, and all she got for a reply was... _Yeah, I know_? No _I love you too_? Or even a _me too_? Did that mean... Vernal did not love her back? No, no of course she did... She was just... tired is all. Yes, yes that was surely it... Right? Unfortunately that did not do much to settle her doubt.

"Oh... good..."

* * *

 _Ngh, where am I?_

 _Well, I don't feel any lumps, so there's no way I'm in my apartment... Although this pillow does feel kind of familiar..._

 _Eh, whatever... I'm comfortable, so I don't care._

Turning onto her side, Cinder reached up to adjust the pillow under her head, wanting to savor the solace they offered, but her fingers sunk into something that was _definitely_ not what she expected. Pillows did not have the same texture as jeans, nor were they this firm - They were fluffy, not squishy. _Wait a second_. Cinder gave the foreign object another couple squeezes, which unfortunately caused her to realize what exactly she was currently touching, as well as what her head was lying upon. _Oh gods... Please let it not be that..._

Slowly retracting her hand from the soft surface, Cinder turned her head to face upward and hesitantly opened her eye, hoping to the Maidens that she did not find anything aside from a ceiling. Sadly her hopes were all for naught, as when her eye was open, she was met with the smirking face of her boss staring down at her. Cinder had her head on her lap. She had her _head_ on her _boss'_ lap... _Fuck me._

Raven's smirk only grew as she noticed the near-horrified look on Cinder's face, leaning back to drape her arms over the back of the couch. "And here I thought groping was reserved for _after_ you buy me dinner."

Cinder was truly at a loss for words. All she could manage to do was continue to stare up at the older woman from her position on her thighs, silently panicking about what she might had done in her sleep, and what her boss now thought of her. _Oh gods what is wrong with me? This is so weird_! After a few moments, she took a shaky breath. "How... exactly did I get here?"

Raven let out a chuckle. "Oh what a story that is." She grinned. "After the party you seemed pretty tired - understandably of course. Having to be social for that long is pretty exhausting. I brought you up here to let you crash on the couch, but by the time we got inside the apartment you were practically hanging off of me."

 _I don't like where this is going._

"I walked you over and attempted to get you to lie down, but you were _very_ insistent on clinging to me." Raven continued. "So I tried sitting down to coax you to get off of me, but sadly that just resulted in you essentially pinning me down with the use of cuddling. The best I could manage was letting you snuggle into my lap, so I just gave up and slept on the couch with you." Then she smirked. "I'm glad you found my thighs so comfy. I've been told many times how great they are."

At this moment, Cinder wanted to die out of embarrassment, but that did not stop her from opening her stupid mouth on an impulse. "I suppose they were quite comfortable..." Which easily not a lie. She had slept like a baby. No waking up in the middle of the night, no nightmares, _nothing_. And they were so soft... just like Emerald's...

"What are ya thinkin' about?" Raven wondered, pulling Cinder from her thoughts. "Looks like something's on your mind."

There was indeed something on Cinder's mind, but she was a bit hesitant on sharing. Though at the same time, this was _Raven_ , the woman who had essentially shared her entire romantic history with Summer and Tai with the younger woman. That was not a _bad_ thing of course, though it was still a bit weird, especially when considering the length of time they had known one another. But maybe that was a sign that Cinder should be more open with her boss - not counting the time they were holding hands during her therapy session with Glynda. So she took a breath. "I... used to do this very thing with Emerald..."

Raven quirked a brow. "Oh yeah? Was she a big lap pillow fan?"

Cinder shook her head - as awkward as it was from her position - as a small smile began to spread across her face. "Actually, believe it or not it was normally _her_ who was used as the lap pillow." Her smile quickly grew. "It was just this quiet, calming thing we did when she wanted to play with my hair..." Then she snickered. "Which was definitely something that a younger me would've _never_ allowed to happen. To make a long story short, I was a huge bitch back then."

Raven chuckled. "Well you couldn't have been worse than me."

Cinder let out a small chuckle of her own. "Oh I assure you I could've." Then her smile somewhat faded. "But it wasn't really me, instead something I was pretending to be." She sighed. "I wasted so much of my life being someone I wasn't, when I could've spent more of it giving Emerald the love she deserved... But she still never gave up on me... Even though I was a stuck-up piece of shit who treated her like a _pet_..."

Likely sensing her employee's tone, Raven decided to change the subject. "So she liked playing with your hair?"

Cinder nodded - once again awkwardly. "Emerald just loved my hair in general, always telling me how pretty it was when she played with it." A small smile quickly returned to her face. "I used to tease her every time." Sadly that smile did not last. "But that was when my hair was still long and beautiful..."

"Just 'cause it isn't long anymore doesn't mean it's not pretty." Raven defended.

 _Raven... thinks I'm pretty_? No, no she was just saying that. Cinder let out an amused huff. "I appreciate the compliment, but it's not merely the length. Ever since the fire, it's just... never been the same..."

"Hm, looks great to me." Raven stated.

Cinder felt the slightest hint of her cheeks warming in response. "Thank you Raven."

A brief silence followed, with the two women simply enjoying the silence, at least for the most part. Cinder still found it relatively weird that she was currently using her boss' thighs as a pillow. Though it did bring with it an amusing thought. What if she were to be in the same position with _Salem_? The mere thought of it almost made Cinder laugh out loud. _What a crazy idea_. She thought to herself, shifting her gaze back up toward the ceiling, where she noticed the older woman looking down at her. _And now Raven's staring at you_.

"Hey uh, this might be a little awkward to ask, so feel free to say no, but... you mind if I play with your hair a bit?" Raven wondered. The younger woman swore there was a slight blush tinting her cheeks, but there was a light directly above them, so she could not really tell.

Cinder blinked, a small blush tinting her own cheeks. Well, Raven was certainly right, it was _quite_ the awkward request. But at the same time, she really missed having her hair played with... and she could not deny how good it felt... _Fuck it_. Looking back up at her boss, Cinder offered a smile as she somewhat awkwardly nodded.

"That would be nice."

* * *

With a groan, Pyrrha found herself pulled from her slumber by the rattling of her scroll from her night table.

 _Who the hell is calling at this absurd hour? And on a weekend too_. It had been... a few days since Weiss' birthday party, so it could not have been a drunk call from her... hopefully. After a few moments she noticed it was ringing with an unfamiliar tone, which meant it was not someone she knew that was calling. Curious to see who it was, Pyrrha drowsily rolled over, picked up her scroll and tapped the _Answer_ button.

"H-Hello?"

"Is this Pyrrha Nikos?" Came the caller's voice from the other side of the line.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Pyrrha furrowed her brow slightly. "Yes?" Looking over at her clock, she saw it was... _two fifty-four in the morning?_

"My name is Doctor Vauban, from Vale Memorial Hospital." The caller introduced. "You were listed as one Coco Adel's emergency contact?"

"Oh, yes, myself and my wife. Is Coco okay?" Pyrrha quietly inquired, worry beginning to creep into her tired voice.

"She is stable, though in recovery." Doctor Vauban explained. "From what little we could garner she fell down a flight of stairs while inebriated, breaking her left forearm and sustaining a concussion."

As worried as Pyrrha was to know her friend was in the hospital, she was at least somewhat relieved to hear she was not in danger. "Thank you for calling, we will be over soon." She informed before hanging up. Once the call had ended, she placed her scroll back onto the night table and remained turned away from her still-sleeping wife, letting out a shaky breath and clenching her hands together as she attempted to fight back the urge to cry. _Damnit_... Pyrrha hated the fact that she was starting to get used to those types of calls - Ones that consisted of a very intoxicated Coco telling her that she had done something stupid and needed to be picked up. Thankfully this was the only instance of anyone else having to call on her friend's behalf, but at the same time... it meant things were getting worse.

But now was not the time to wallow in helplessness. Pyrrha had a part to play, people who relied on her, her strength, her will, as their own faded and faltered. As much as she may want to break down in tears - and she very much did considering the circumstances - she had to stay strong for her friends and family. That was what being raised to be a strong family leader meant. Suppressing all the pain and fatigue she felt in order to help those she cared about.

And right now, that person was Coco - someone who compared to Ruby and Pyrrha, not only lost friends, but the love of her life, Velvet... And ever since then, she was never the same. Though on the same note, none of them really were.

As Pyrrha continued to remain on her side in thought, she took a look back at what used to be. Before that fateful day, Coco was... a busy woman to put it simply, using practically all of her time doing one of two things: focusing on growing her modeling agency - where Velvet used to be a part-time photographer - and spending time with said girlfriend. Pyrrha actually managed a smile. To say Velvet was her _other half_ was a bit of an understatement. Before they met, Coco had been trying to get her modeling agency off the ground, but was being held back due to a couple of her bad habits - drinking and smoking from the stress it caused. But then she met Velvet, and after a few weeks of them dating, she helped her quit - at least when it came to smoking. She still drank on occasion, but never anything heavy, only ever having a beer or two in social settings. Then when she died... Coco fell apart. Not only did she return to both of those habits much harder than ever before, but she gave up her modeling agency; her _dream_... just like that.

It was stark contrast from what she was told about Cinder, who despite her best efforts, the world did not allow her to move on. Compare that to Coco, who had the love and support of everyone she knew - her friends, family, employees, hell even _fans_ \- yet chose to just throw her life away. Pyrrha and Ruby tried to see her as much as they possibly good, but between how distant she was - especially at first - as well as their wedding and honeymoon a few months later, it was difficult trying to keep an eye on her. But thankfully things got at least a bit better once they returned home, with Coco actually talking to them fairly regularly again, even crashing at their apartment every now and again. Although she described it as being _for her own safety_ , which was not exactly reassuring. As hard as it was to see their friend like that, at least there were times where Pyrrha and Ruby knew for certain that she did not have to be alone.

Letting out a tired sigh, Pyrrha pulled herself up into a sitting position before she inevitably fell asleep again. She and Ruby needed to go see their friend. Leaning over to her sleeping wife, she softly caressed the side of her face, attempting to gently wake her up. Ruby was quite the heavy sleeper, so it certainly took a little while to cause her to stir. Unfortunately once she was awake and relatively conscious, she grinned, very likely thinking her wife had woken her up for sex. Pyrrha just frowned in response, her gaze falling slightly as she shook her head.

"What's up Pyr?" Ruby tiredly asked, slowly sitting up to meet the other woman.

Pyrrha was a bit reluctant to inform Ruby what had happened with Coco, but she knew she had to. Their friend was hurt, and she needed them. So she took a deep breath.

"Coco... is in the hospital."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : So as an announcement-type thing, I'm not exactly sure what the next little while will be for fic-writing, cause I really want to get to that "other fic" I mentioned at the end of the last chapter, but also kind of in the middle of OLC, so I'll see where that goes. Might take a break from OLC and move onto that one, might go back and forth each chapter, who knows.

Anyways, as always, your feedback fuels me!


	15. Spiral

After another shitty shift at her equally shitty job, Weiss needed a drink... and a mood-booster. It was a good thing Yang was working today... and her girlfriend was not.

Ever since the morning after her birthday party, the response that Vernal gave to her confession of love had been... well, filling her thoughts to say the least. _Yeah, I know_... Those words just continued to repeat in her mind, over and over again, and Weiss had to resist the urge to cry every time they did. She had spent the past several days going over what happened in her own head, as every time she attempted to bring it up with Vernal, her girlfriend would... have other things in mind for them. Mainly sex, or other things that essentially got Weiss to shut up. Which definitely did not instill confidence that they were ever going to talk about it. But no matter, she was sure Vernal was just... nervous about the implications of saying those words. That had to be it... at least she hoped so - seeing as that was what she had continued to tell herself throughout the last few days.

Weiss let out a sigh as she walked down the sidewalk, heading towards _The Perch_. She needed to stop overthinking about that. Everything was going to be fine... right? Whatever. She will deal with that later. It was time for a drink, or two... or more - depending on how where the afternoon went.

Pushing open the front door of the bar, the first thing Weiss did upon stepping into the main area was search for Yang, because there was no way in hell she was going to spend even a single minute there alone. Not today. She needed her friend. Unfortunately for her, there was no sign of the blonde, even in the fairly vacant bar. The only notable person in sight was Qrow standing behind the counter, cleaning a class. _But... she said she was working today... No, she has to be here. Qrow will know_. Weiss thought to herself, wandering farther into the bar toward the worker, who offered a small yet still authentic smile as she approached.

"Afternoon kiddo." Qrow greeted.

Weiss managed a slight smile in return. "Hi Qrow." She simply greeted back. "Do you know where Yang is? I was informed that she was working today."

"Just on the can." Qrow informed, placing the glass aside. "Want me to get you a drink while you're waiting?"

Weiss shook her head. "Thank you, but I'll pass for now. There's something I need to speak with Yang about."

"Must be important." Qrow acknowledge before returning to cleaning glasses.

Heading toward the back of the bar, Weiss entered the small hallway that contained the male and female washrooms. Once there she stationed herself across from the latter by leaning against the wall across from the door. She then waited a minute before hearing the toilet flush from within, which was followed by the running water of the sink. _Well it's good to know she washes her hands_. Not long after the sound came to a halt, the door opened, revealing Yang, clad in her usual work wear. Upon her noticing Weiss standing there, her brow furrowed, likely wondering what exactly her friend was doing waiting outside the bathroom for her.

"Hey there." Yang greeted, a slightly confused smirk on her face. "You spying on me or somethin'?"

Weiss just rolled her eyes. "You caught me."

Yang let out a chuckle. "And here I thought you actually _liked_ being my friend." She joked. "Turns out you only wanted to listen to me pee."

"The shame I feel is as crushing as my arousal." Weiss deadpanned.

Yang's chuckle quickly evolved into a mock-evil laugh. "Jokes on you, I've been stealing locks of your hair since we met."

"That's unfortunate, I wear a wig." Weiss obviously lied.

Yang faux-gasped in response. "Are the panties I've taken fake too?"

Though she had to resist the urge to laugh, Weiss smirked. " _Decoys_."

Yang faux-gasped again, but more intensely this time. "You evil genius! What of you even _is_ real?"

"My breasts, sadly." Weiss sighed.

Yang offered a smile through a chuckle. "Aw they're not _that_ bad Weiss, they're just... cute is all."

Weiss immediately quirked a brow. "You say that like you've been looking at them."

Yang blinked, likely realizing what she had just said. "Uh... no... O-Of course not." She managed.

Seeing her friend struggle to respond caused Weiss to practically burst into laughter. She never knew it was so easy to fluster her. Though unfortunately it did not last long, as the laughter soon trailed off as her gaze fell off to the side.

"Hey, you okay?" Yang inquired, taking notice of her friend's change in attitude. "You're uh, lookin' a little less _punk_ today."

A fairly accurate statement. Weiss was not nearly as dressed up as she normally was. No coloured contacts, no leather jacket, none of her _punk-styled_ makeup... just a random band T-shirt and jeans. It was likely the _least-punk_ Weiss had looked in quite a long time. She ended up opening her mouth a few times to answer, but nothing came out. Instead she merely stepped forward and wrapped Yang in a tight hug, noticing that her head went straight into her cleavage due to their difference in heights. But Weiss did not care. It was warm, and soft, and it made her feel better. Especially once Yang reciprocated, pulling her close with one strong arm wrapping around Weiss' shoulders, the other around to lightly pat her head. It made her realize something.

 _I wish Vernal would hug me like this..._

A few lingering moments later, Weiss could feel Yang's grip around her slowly begin to loosen, so she figured it was about time that they separated. Once the two had let go of one another and stepped back, Yang offered a smile.

"Feel any better?"

Weiss could not help but smile slightly in response. "A bit. But I still have a lot on my chest, so... can we talk in the back room?"

"Of course." Yang agreed before beginning to lead Weiss out of the bathroom hallway and toward the bar hatch. "You want a drink while we talk?"

Weiss nodded. "That would be nice. I'll just have my usual."

Briefly turning back to look at her friend, Yang smiled. "Comin' right up." She then lifted the bar hatch for Weiss to pass under before following. "You go make yourself comfortable, and I'll be right there with your order."

Weiss managed a smile. "Thanks Yang."

The blonde grinned in response. "Glad I could be of service."

Making her way into the bar's back room, Weiss pulled out one of the chairs of the lone table and took a seat. While she waited, she decided to idly look around - since there was not really anything else to do anyway. Thankfully she did not have to do so for very long, as the door to the front area soon opened, with Yang strolling into the room, a White Atlesian in hand.

"One White Atlesian for the... Well you know the rest." Yang grinned, placing the beverage in front of Weiss before sitting across from her.

"And here I thought you were going to reuse that joke for the millionth time." Weiss commented before picking up the glass and taking a sip.

"Hey, I'm not _that_ unoriginal!" Yang defended, to which she received a doubtful look from her friend. "Okay maybe I am sometimes."

Weiss raised a brow. _"Sometimes?"_

"Shut up!" Yang whined as Weiss laughed at her. Once her friend had calmed down, a short silence followed. "So... what'd you wanna talk about?"

"It's... about Vernal..." Weiss admitted, her gaze falling to the drink in her hand.

"Everything okay with you two?" Yang asked, worry quickly beginning to creep into her voice.

"Well, _yes_ , technically also _no_ but..." Weiss took in a sharp breath, and sighed. "It's... simple, but also complicated."

Yang offered a smile. "Well, I'm all ears."

"I love Vernal, she... she's the reason I can smile when I wake up, and I know I'm not the most rational of people anymore but, I know I love her, and I know she loves me, but...she never _says_ it." Weiss explained, her gaze never truly meeting Yang's.

"But... if she never says it... how do you know?" Yang hesitantly asked.

"You know Vernal, she's... _difficult_." Weiss answered. "Not cold, but she doesn't exactly bite at the bit to talk about how she feels."

"That's true, but even I feel like saying she loves you would be an exception." Yang mentioned.

Weiss took another sip from her drink. "I don't think she's ever said she loves anyone... It's just that she makes me _feel_ loved, like, actions speak louder than words. I don't feel unloved... I _definitely_ don't feel unloved, it's just that I've never had anything like this before and it means everything to me... But there's always that part of me that's scared it'll all fall apart and come crashing down..."

"I mean I've heard her say she loves your eyes... or your ass, but I guess that doesn't really count huh." Yang commented.

Weiss let out a sigh. "Vernal didn't really... she doesn't like to talk about her childhood, but I know enough to understand the subject is a can of worms that still affects her, that I'm a big thing for her... But it just... _hurts_ , when you tell someone you love them, and they don't say it back."

"You... told her you love her?"

Weiss nodded. "Yeah, it... it was early, perhaps she didn't really hear me well or... maybe she thought she was dreaming but... No that's..." She sighed wearily, rubbing at her temples. "She said _I know snowflake_ , and went back to sleep."

Yang brought a hand up to run through her hair. "Oh... man that's a tough one. I'm so sorry Weiss..."

"Did... have you ever had this problem with Neo?" Weiss inquired. "I-I mean not just that she can't talk, I know she can communicate but..."

Yang shook her head slightly. "Not exactly, but..." She sighed. "I know she never loved me... And now that I think about it, I doubt our _relationship_ was even much of a relationship in the first place, especially considering I wasn't her only partner..."

Weiss nearly spit out her drink in response. _"What?"_

"She dumped me Weiss." Yang mumbled. "Not long before your birthday, I went over to her apartment, and..." She trailed off, seemingly struggling to find the words. "And found her _fucking_ some random guy. I tried to figure out what I did, but... she ended up just shutting the door in my face..."

Weiss could not believe what she was hearing. "That... that _bitch_ , how could she?!"

Yang just half-heartedly shrugged. "I dunno, guess I didn't make it clear I was _expecting more_."

"Nonsense." Weiss snapped. "I saw how you treated her, you would _always_ made time for her, _light up_ when she visited... You... don't _ever_ doubt yourself Yang. If it was anyone's issue it was hers, I don't accept any other possibilities."

Yang managed a smile. "Thanks Weiss." Then she chuckled a bit. "And here I thought _I_ was supposed to be the one helping today."

"Well, let it never be said I'm not a good friend, you always have been to me." Weiss reminded.

"Not just good, you have been the _best_." Yang corrected, a grin beginning to spread across her face.

Weiss scoffed. "Hardly, I..." She trailed off, noticing the face her friend was giving her. "I should just take the compliment."

"Well I ain't letting you say anything different." Yang grinned.

Weiss clicked her tongue. "Like you could stop me, no one can stop me when I put my mind to something."

Yang had to stifle a laugh. "Like getting drunk and asking to rent out my dad for the night?"

Weiss shrunk, blushing deeply. _Why did she have to remember that_? "Your father is rather handsome, and I am loose lipped under the influence."

"I'm kinda surprised you didn't throw yourself at anyone." Yang commented.

"I was tempted, but I am also faithful, no matter how adorable your sisters pout may be." Weiss admitted. _And I can't believe I just said that._

Yang quickly brought a hand up to cover her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Oh my gods you were actually thinking about it?"

"Ruby is an incredibly cute individual!" Weiss defended. "Pyrrha is a fortunate woman."

"Hey, Ruby's pretty lucky too." Yang pointed out. "I mean have you _seen_ Pyrrha's body? Gods damn."

"The figure of a goddess, and the personality of an angel." Weiss agreed. She was awfully lucky she found Vernal first, or else she might have developed a crush on the redhead.

"I'll admit I joked with Ruby about how I was gonna _throw myself at her wife_ , but shit, I'd _pay_ for a night with that woman." Yang continued.

Weiss let out a giggle. "And then she would politely decline, and you'd be thankful for the smile."

"Damn right I would." Yang confidently stated. "That smile could cure depression."

"Ah, if only we'd met earlier..." Weiss half-faux-sighed. It was a joke, but not entirely inaccurate.

Yang chuckled in response. "If only. But hey, you've already got a girl. I'm the single one here."

"Not for long, I'm sure of it." Weiss assured. "I'll come in and you'll have a veritable harem hanging off of you."

Yang's chuckle quickly evolved into a laugh. "Oh man wouldn't that be the life. I could have a person for each area of my body!"

"All with their own individual maid outfits." Weiss added. _That would be quite a sight indeed._

"I mean what else would I have them wear?" Yang wondered.

Weiss actually thought for a moment. "Well nothing is always an option, but then you lose the fun of taking it off..."

"That's true, but then I could stare at tits and dicks all day long." Yang countered.

 _Also known as a paradise_... "I concede your point."

"Yeah but those are only imaginary right now." Yang noted. "You already have a perfectly good pair of tits that you can stare at."

"They are rather nice... perfectly sized really... my hands are small..." Weiss mumbled, raising said hands to observe them.

"Which makes it even better!" Yang excitedly added.

"Yeah..." Weiss agreed before looking at her friend, attempting to not let her gaze fall down to her chest. "I can only imagine yours would be like _bowling balls_ to my hands."

Yang immediately raised a brow. "You say that like you're curious."

 _And I shouldn't have said that_. "It's just an observation!" Weiss defended.

Yang still seemed suspicious. "Uh huh, eyes on the prize Weissy, don't want people to think you're straying. Think, cropped hair, smug sneer, resting bitch face."

Weiss chuckled. "I know Yang. But speaking of... what do you think I should do about my current... _predicament?"_

Yang's expression then morphed into a more serious one. "Honestly Weiss... I've never been good at this sort of thing. There's moments in my life I shoulda... _done_ something, but didn't, or did, but didn't do it right, and I regret them every day." She slumped. "I don't wanna push you into something that might not work out, but I also don't wanna see you just... _let it go_. But more than anything, I think Vernal needs you to be direct about it."

"So I should tell her how I feel..." Weiss mumbled, thinking over her friend's suggestion as she took a drink from her nearly empty beverage, finishing it. _That was fast._

"And make it really clear, so she can't shrug it off or rationalize it." Yang stressed. "She needs to respect your feelings and understand how you feel, because relationships are a two way street, and if you can't meet in the middle you end up like me and Neo... Don't... don't be me Weiss."

After a moment, Weiss nodded. "Alright, I will. Thank you Yang, really. I don't know what I would do without you."

Yang smiled. "You'd have Ruby, Pyrrha, Raven, and hell even Qrow. You're a great person Weiss, they'd take care of you."

Weiss met the blonde's smile with one of her own as a blush began to tint her cheeks. "Thanks... I love you all..."

Yang's smile only grew. "We love ya too Weiss." Then she noticed her friend's glass was empty. "Now how about another drink?"

"Yeah... yeah I'd like one please, a little uh... liquid courage." Weiss agreed.

"You got it!" Yang grinned.

As Weiss watched her friend stand, snatch the glass off of the table and head back into the front area to make another drink for her, a smile found it's way onto her face. Though she had only known her for just over a year, she could honestly not imagine a day without her. It caused Weiss to softly chuckle to herself.

 _What would I do without that wonderful woman?_

* * *

Like most other rational individuals, Pyrrha hated hospitals. Of course it was not due to the odd smell of the building, the mediocre food, or even the... _conditions_ of those admitted there... She could tolerate those fairly easily... at least for the most part. No, the reason she despised hospitals so much was because of the reasons why she normally had to be there in the first place.

And unfortunately, this day was no different... As much as she wished it was.

Slowly walking down one of the _many_ brightly lit hallways of Vale Memorial Hospital with a cream cheese bagel in one hand and a chocolate chip muffin in the other - both wrapped in plastic - Pyrrha let out a sigh. Having been awake since three in the morning and in the building since before five - more specifically in Coco's room with Ruby - she could safely say was _very_ tired and wanted to go back to bed. Though sadly she could not rest quite yet, as her day was likely _far_ from over - And she would soon learn how accurate that statement was.

Upon finally reaching the large wooden door labelled _802_ , Pyrrha stride slowed to a stop in front of it, almost dreading what she knew was on the other side. Seeing those who had diseases or sustained serious injuries was one thing, but when one of them was a friend? Her _family_? Now that was something else entirely. Pyrrha did not want to walk into that room and have to once again lay her eyes upon _Coco Adel_ , ex-owner of the _Adel Modelling Agency_ , lying asleep in a hospital bed with not only a broken arm, but concussed, malnourished... It was a difficult sight to behold to say the least. Unfortunately just standing outside the door was not exactly an option. After all, she could not exactly be there for Coco without actually _being_ there, even if that meant seeing her friend in such a state.

Hesitantly opening the heavy door, Pyrrha stepped into the dimly lit hospital room, revealing the sleeping forms of Coco and Ruby - the former tucked into the bed, hooked up to a heart rate monitor and an IV, and the latter in a chair, slumped over the bed, unconsciously grasping Coco's hand. If it was not for the fact that they were currently in a hospital, the sight would have been rather cute. But even so, she was glad both of them were still asleep, as she wanted to be there when Coco woke up to ensure she did not feel alone.

Quietly making her way across the room, Pyrrha placed the chocolate chip muffin onto the table behind Ruby before taking a seat in the other chair she had set up next to the hospital bed - the same one she had essentially been sitting in all day. Once settled, she began to unwrap the cream cheese bagel she had bought for herself earlier, as she was quite hungry - and as if on cue, her stomach rumbled again. _What a coincidence_.

As Pyrrha began to silently eat her bagel, savouring its delicious taste, her eyes idly drifted to the form of her sleeping friend. Gaunt... pasty... chapped lips... frayed long hair, looking like it had not been cut in months... a cast that almost covered her entire right arm... It almost made her want to cry from just looking at her. So instead she decided to simply gaze around the room. This was not even close to the first time she had been in one just like it, and she had a feeling it would not be the last. Unless she could actually get through to Coco this time. Pyrrha could only hope. It was not until she heard a familiar voice that her gaze returned to the occupant of the hospital bed.

"Hey there Little Red. Long time no see."

If not for the current situation, Pyrrha would have smiled at the nickname. It was one that Coco had given her a while ago, while referring to her wife as _Big Red_ \- Which was quite ironic, as Ruby was the _little_ one of the two of them. Instead she merely decided to make a point to chew her bagel slowly, watching as Coco blinked blearily awake.

"Man, it feels like I got hit by a bus." Coco mumbled, her voice quiet and hoarse.

"Hmph." Pyrrha swallowed her bite, staring at her friend silently as she took another.

Coco raised a brow as she attempted to adjust herself, sadly to no avail. "Sounds like someone had a bad day. What's got ya down girl?"

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, swallowing another bite. "I dislike my kindness being taken advantage of, Coco."

"Are the in-laws giving ya trouble again?" Coco inquired.

"My in-laws are kind an considerate." Pyrrha simply answered.

Coco then looked over at the sleeping form of Ruby to her left before her gaze came back to Pyrrha. "Are you _gettin' it_ enough from Big Red?"

"Our love life is as lively as ever."

Coco paused, seemingly in thought. "Problems at work?"

"Outside of it." Pyrrha corrected.

Coco paused again. "Parents?"

" _Coco_." Pyrrha frowned. "I have had enough."

"Yeah, parents can be a little hard to deal with sometimes." Coco agreed - even though that was not at all what the redhead was referring to - her eyes drifting around the room. "I know that pretty well..."

Pyrrha frowned in response, starting to get fed up with Coco's lack of seriousness. "Coco Adel, _look at me_." She commanded, to which her friend hesitantly looked back over to meet her gaze. "I love you Coco, you understand that?"

"Yeah, I know _mom_." Coco mumbled.

"And Ruby loves you." Pyrrha added.

Coco managed a raspy chuckle. "If she doesn't, I've got no idea what love is."

"You are family to us Coco." Pyrrha continued, lowering her bagel and leaning closer to the bed.

"Like a weird, lonely daughter." Coco commented, her gaze falling off to the side.

"And so was Velvet."

Coco suddenly stiffened, her face slightly contorting at the mention of her ex-girlfriend, her gaze remaining away from Pyrrha. _"I know..."_

"Do you want us to bury you too?" Pyrrha questioned, sliding the chair closer to the bed, hoping for her friend to even look at her. Coco did not answer, still looking elsewhere. "Because if you continue down this path, I see no other result."

Coco still did not answer immediately, choosing to instead gaze out the nearby window to her left, her expression full of pain. But thankfully she did not stay silent for too long. " _It'd probably save you a lotta trouble_..." She mumbled, her voice barely audible.

Pyrrha could not believe what she just heard. Sliding even closer to the bed, she reached over and firmly grasped Coco's chin, forcing her to meet her gaze once more, eyes glistening as she glared. "Is that what you want Coco? You want to die? To leave us with the pain of your loss too?"

Coco then attempted to avoid eye contact with the redhead. _"One less burden..."_

"You are _not_ a burden on us." Pyrrha assured, removing her hand from Coco's chin and lightly placing it upon the cast that covered her right arm. "You are family, our _sister_ , and I will not allow you to throw your life away. Velvet would never forgive me, nor would she forgive you."

Coco just sadly huffed. "I've got no life anymore Pyr..."

Pyrrha frowned. "You _know_ that isn't true Coco."

Coco let out a quiet sigh. "The only life I ever had has been buried in a cemetery for the past eight months."

"And do you think she would want _this_ for you?" Pyrrha questioned. "Drinking and mourning yourself into a grave beside her?"

"Only way I'll get to see her again..." Coco murmured.

Pyrrha had to fight back tears upon hearing that response. She hated that they were having this conversation right now, and hated that they were in a hospital in the first place... _What an awful day_. "Coco, please..." She swallowed a lump in her throat, closing her eyes in an attempt at maintaining her composure. "Look at Ruby."

Coco hesitantly looked around the room, searching for the girl in question, but soon found her slumped onto the bed to her left, sound asleep, but still holding her hand. She then managed a chuckle. "Man, how long have you two been here that she fell asleep?"

"We arrived early this morning." Pyrrha informed. " _Focus_ Coco."

"Right, sorry _mom_."

"Coco, what do you think she asked me when I told her where you were?" Pyrrha inquired.

" _You think she's got any badass scars_?" Coco wondered in her best Ruby impression - at least the best she could do with her quiet, slightly raspy voice.

Pyrrha squeezed the cast that covered her friend's right arm tight enough to draw a wince. Of course she did not want to cause her friend more pain than she had already gone through, but she would apologize later. _"Is she going to be okay?"_

Coco just looked back at the sleeping girl next to her. "Can't get away from worrying that girl huh."

"She cried Coco." Pyrrha informed. "She cried for you."

"She cries at a lotta stuff Pyr." Coco commented.

Once again, Pyrrha reached up to Coco's chin, forcing her friend to look at her. " _You_ made her cry, because she's afraid of losing you too."

Coco did not respond immediately, instead deciding to just look away from Pyrrha, her gaze falling to the floor. "Sorry about that..." She murmured.

"Don't be sorry Coco, I don't want your apologies, I've heard enough." Pyrrha leaned even farther forward, practically over the bed now. "I want to help you."

Coco's gaze remained away from her friend. "Not sure I _can_ be helped Little Red."

"There is always hope, no one is beyond saving, and you are stronger than most." Pyrrha promised.

Coco just quietly sighed. "I used to be."

"You are hurting, Coco, _grieving_ , there's no weakness in that." Pyrrha attempted to assure, hoping her friend will listen.

"Yeah I know, but I was weak before all this shit..." Coco mumbled. "Only reason I was ever strong was 'cause of Velvs..."

Pyrrha grimaced upon hearing those words. "Were you truly weak, or did she help you find your true strength?"

"She _gave_ me strength, 'cause I didn't have enough on my own." Coco sighed.

"And how did she give you strength?" Pyrrha asked, which was followed by brief silence followed. It made sense, as the redhead knew how hard it was for Coco to talk about Velvet, but she needed her to answer. They would never get anywhere if she kept running away from it. Thankfully after a few moments she received her answer.

"By being the better half I didn't have."

 _Please let us be getting somewhere..._ "I'm willing to bet you told her this often?" Pyrrha wondered.

"Of course I did." Coco confirmed, finally looking Pyrrha in the eye. "She was my whole world Pyr, and I told her that every single day."

"And what did she say back?" Pyrrha continued.

Coco took a shaky breath. "S-She said... _I'm only bringing out the best parts of you_..."

Pyrrha tried to offer a smile. "Velvet was a smart woman."

"She really was..." Coco agreed.

"She had faith in you." Pyrrha assured.

"She had faith in everyone..." Coco mumbled.

"And she was always right too."

Coco let out a sigh. "Always..."

"Won't you have faith too?" Pyrrha inquired.

Coco sighed again. "I tried Pyr, but I can't do it on my own..."

"You're not on your own Coco." Pyrrha promised. "You were never on your own, you have always, and will always have us, your family."

Coco managed a slight smile in response. "Thanks Pyr..."

Pyrrha smiled, thankful that they were indeed getting somewhere. "You're welcome. Would you like some water?"

Coco nodded as best she could. "That'd be great. My mouth's as dry as a single dude's dick."

Pyrrha furrowed her brow. "That was an... interesting analogy..."

Coco managed a small chuckle. "Yeah... pretty sure they got me on painkillers so my head's not in the greatest place."

"Well, better that than horrible pain." Pyrrha noted before getting up out of her chair.

"True." Coco acknowledged as the redhead made her way over to the sink and began filling up a cup with water. "Guess you'll be hearing me say some weird shit I won't remember later."

Turning off the tap, Pyrrha's gaze fell. "You always remember Coco."

"It's why I try to drink to forget." Coco mumbled. "Too bad it doesn't work."

Walking back over to the hospital bed, Pyrrha held out the filled cup, which Coco took a drink from, as both of her hands were unable to hold it. "That ends today."

After swallowing the liquid, Coco raised brow. "That so?"

"Until you can be trusted to take care of yourself, we will do so for you." Pyrrha informed.

"Guess calling you _mom_ is really making sense now huh." Coco observed.

"I have a wooden spoon." Pyrrha commented with a slight smile.

"What if I'm a masochist?" Coco wondered, the corners of her mouth beginning to curl into a slight grin.

"I will feed you bread and water, and dress you in potato sacks." Pyrrha answered, giving her friend another sip of water.

"Jokes on you, I love being humiliated." Coco teased.

Pyrrha stood over Coco and heaved a heavy sigh. "I will pour this water on you."

Coco's grin only grew. "Oh yeah, get me wet."

Pyrrha just sighed again.

 _This was going to be a long day._

* * *

If there was one thing that Pyrrha was thankful for today - aside from Coco being alright - it was _finally_ being out of that wretched hospital.

As she, Ruby and Coco - the latter being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse - made their way outside, Pyrrha let out a relatively heavy sigh of relief. After having spent practically the _entire_ day in a small room, she was _extremely_ happy to be outside again, to feel the warmth of the sunlight on her skin, the cool breeze flowing through her hair... It was quite a wonderful feeling. What made it even better was that it also meant one other thing: it was finally time to go home. Though at the same time, that unfortunately did not mean the day was over... as much as she may want it to be.

Thanking the nurse for all his help throughout the day, Pyrrha requested that Ruby stay with Coco and headed into the parking lot to find her car, Miló. As she navigated through the multicolored collection of cars, her mind began to wander back through the events of the day. A little while after she was able to have her _real talk_ with Coco - once she could get past the jokes and flirting of course - Ruby awoke from her nap. Which, as Pyrrha expected, was followed by her _showering_ the brunette with... well, _Ruby-levels_ of love and affection. It was not exactly the approach she would have preferred her wife to use, as she believed Coco needed some tough love after the scare she gave them, but after briefly watching the two interact, she decided it was for the best. Pyrrha was aware of the role she played, the image she maintained, the lessons her mother passed down to her, so she figured having _another_ bad cop would not help very much in this situation.

Once Pyrrha and Ruby were able to spend some more pleasant time with Coco, they were sadly interrupted by a doctor, who up until that point had been waiting for his patient to awaken. They had to vacate the room for a little while to allow for some tests to be fun, though thankfully those did not take too long, as the pair wanted to spend as little time as possible away from Coco. After that, the day mostly consisted of sitting around and talking - of course with Ruby practically attached to their friend the entire time, which was adorable - until the same doctor returned to inform them that Coco was going to be alright, as well as how they would be allowed to take her home soon. Unfortunately that _soon_ was not exactly an accurate statement. It was more like much, much later, since by the time they actually left the hospital - after the slightly tedious process of signing their friend out - the sun had almost begun to set. But thankfully they were out now, and it was time to take Coco home. Well, sort of.

Upon finally reaching Miló, Pyrrha unlocked the compact car and got inside, letting out a small sigh as she settled into her seat. While it of course was not the sole reason she purchased the car, the comfy seats were certainly a plus. Especially now, since she had been sitting in a hospital room chair nearly all day. Compared to those, Miló soft cushions were like solid clouds. Pyrrha felt like she could just fall asleep right there. Though once again, she had much more important things to deal with than fatigue.

Inserting her key into the ignition and turning on the car, Pyrrha pulled out of the spot and navigated her way through the parking lot to the front entrance of the hospital, where she was met by Ruby and Coco - the former with her arm wrapped around the latter's waist. As she pulled to a stop before them, her wife quickly stepped forward to open the rear door, helping their friend get into the vehicle. Once Coco was settled, Ruby buckled her seat belt - even though she was relatively capable of doing it herself - before closing the door and making her way around to the other side of Miló. After getting into the car and buckling her own seat belt - and of course gently grabbing the brunette's free hand - Pyrrha shifted back into drive and made her way out of the parking lot. Finally, they were completely out of the hospital.

Aside from the hum of the small car's engine and the quiet noise of the radio, the drive was relatively silent - but that was fine with Pyrrha. They had spent practically the entire day talking, so she felt like her voice could use a small break. It was... _peaceful_. The only surprising part was even Ruby decided to stay quiet, instead just simply sticking as close as physically possible to Coco while still remaining in her own seat. Even with the brunette's broken arm, it was adorable. Unfortunately Pyrrha knew that said peacefulness would not last forever, especially once Coco learned of her plan for the near future.

"Hey, uh, you mind if we stop by a burger joint or somethin' before you drop me off?" Came Coco's voice from the back seat, her voice still fairly quiet. "That hospital food tasted like shit."

 _Well, I suppose I'll have to tell her at some point_. Pyrrha thought to herself, which was further supported by a look she received from her wife through the rear-view mirror They had previously discussed possibilities of what to do after the hospital visit, but had not yet come to a final decision. Though they were both were fairly certain what they wanted to do. "I think that would be a fine idea." She agreed, also feeling herself starting to get hungry. "Though we will not be dropping you off afterward."

Barely seen by the redhead through the mirror, Coco furrowed her brow. "Okay...? Were you planning on stickin' around or something? 'Cause my place hasn't exactly been _guest friendly_ for a while."

"Not quite." Pyrrha responded. "We will be stopping by your apartment to pick up some clothes, toiletries and whatever else you desire, but I think it would be best if you stay with us for the time being." She explained, and sadly not receiving a response. Instead she saw Coco's gaze shift away from her to face out the car window. Thankfully after a few moments she nodded slightly.

 _"Sure..."_

 _She did not sound thrilled. Although, at least it was something._

And so the drive continued in silence.

While it was a bit out of the way, Pyrrha decided to take them to one of the fast food restaurants that she knew Coco really enjoyed: _Brazier's_. Sure, she would have preferred that they eat something a little healthier, but her friend was already malnourished enough, so as long as she was eating, she did not care. Although, that did not mean she would not try to have Coco eat healthy as much as possible.

Upon arriving at the plaza where Brazier's was located, Pyrrha pulled the car into the restaurant's drive thru, as she figured that especially in her current condition, Coco would not really want to in the public eye - and truth be told, neither did Pyrrha. She had been up since three in the morning, and frankly, she was a mess. Though to be fair, Ruby was a bit of a mess as well. Of course she would never actually _tell_ her wife that... Not unless she wanted to sleep on the couch that night. Plus, it did not matter how Ruby looked, she was always perfect in Pyrrha's eyes.

Once they were able to make it to the end of the drive thru and order their food - which Coco and Ruby began to eat immediately - Pyrrha exited the plaza and back onto the road, resuming their trip to their friend's apartment. It was a short ride, as within about five minutes, they had arrived at the guest parking area of the apartment Coco lived in, somewhere the married couple had not been in quite a long time. It was always the brunette that was coming over to their place, so Pyrrha was curious - and honestly a bit worried - to see how the place had changed since they were last there. As she pulled into a free spot and shut off the car, unbuckling her seat belt and turning toward the back seat, she found Ruby taking off her own seat belt and Coco merely staring out the window at the apartment building, her expression melancholic.

"Coco? Are you alright?" Pyrrha inquired, to which her friend only continued to stare.

"I can't do it..." Coco simply murmured. "If I go in there... I'm not gonna be able to walk out... at least not sober..."

Pyrrha felt her heart sink upon hearing her friend's response. She could not imagine how it felt to struggle to go into her own apartment. Although... that was likely how it would have been if she had lost Ruby in that fire. But thankfully they were only there for a quick stop, so there was an easy enough solution. "Well, I could go in and gather your things for you if you would like." She offered with a small smile.

"And I'll stay with you." Ruby added with a smile of her own, scooting closer to the brunette and taking her hand within her own.

After a brief silence, Coco surprisingly turned to face the other two and nodded, her mouth curling into a slight, yet probably artificial smile. "Thanks Pyr." She mumbled, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small brass key, which she held out for the redhead. "Room 304 if you forgot."

Taking the key and depositing it into her own pocket - lest she misplace it - Pyrrha offered another smile, hoping to bring out an authentic one from her friend. "Is there anything specific you want while I'm in there?"

Coco remained quiet for a moment, likely in thought. Then she let out a small chuckle. "Just nothin' too fancy for clothes, as I doubt I'm goin' out anytime soon."

"Duly noted." Pyrrha nodded, opening her car door and stepping onto the pavement. "I'll be right back." Though before she could close the door, Coco spoke up again.

"Hey uh, maybe get a... a toy or two, a girl's got needs ya know."

Pyrrha smiled in response, glad to hear that the brunette was at least being honest. After all, they did not know how long she would be staying with them, so she was happy that her friend would have an outlet while she was. "Of course." Pyrrha agreed before closing the car door.

Making her way through the guest parking area and into the apartment building, Pyrrha approached and called the elevator. Barely half a minute later, it arrived with a _bing_ , and she stepped inside. She then pressed the button marked _3_ , causing the metal doors to slide closed and the elevator to begin slowly ascending the floors. Soon enough it reached the third floor with another _bing_ , and Pyrrha stepped off and quickly made her way down the hallway - She did not want to keep Ruby and Coco waiting for too long. Upon reaching the door labelled _304_ , she pulled the key out of her pocket and hesitantly inserted it into the lock, not knowing what lied within. Like Ruby, Pyrrha had not been to the apartment since before the fire, so she was a little worried over its current condition.

From what she remembered, Coco and Velvet's apartment was not exactly high class - even though they could have afforded it - but it was the latter's choice, and it was... _cozy_. Many of the walls were red brick, and said walls were adorned with paintings, artwork, and a variety of photos - as Coco _loved_ to display as much of her girlfriend's work as the Faunus would allow. The furniture was also second hand - at least those that did not already come with the apartment - as well as a fair amount of their dishes, which to Pyrrha did seem a little weird, but Velvet assured them that they were all in perfect condition. The most expensive thing they appeared to own was the home theatre they put together a couple years prior. It was a very... _homey_ apartment, and the redhead could only hope that her friend was living alright.

Unfortunately she was about to learn just how wrong she was.

Unlocking and opening the door, Pyrrha walked into the apartment... and her heart immediately sunk. To put it lightly, the place was a complete mess. There were several articles of clothing discarded around the main living area - and a bunch more overflowing out of a nearby laundry basket - a pile of old takeout containers on the kitchen counter, a blanket and pillow set up on the couch... It was... a depressing sight to behold to say the least, and knowing what Coco used to be like before losing Velvet made it that much worse. But sadly that was not all. Every framed picture that was previously on a wall had been taken down and moved to some other location. So many memories of the couple, just... _gone_. Although, Pyrrha could not say she did not understand. There were a variety of pictures that included Ruby in her own apartment, so if she had lost her at-the-time fiancé in that fire, she likely would have taken those down as well.

Making her way through the _very_ unkept main room, Pyrrha found herself at the end of a hallway that lead farther into the apartment. Only having been to the Coco's home a few times for what Ruby described as _couple's nights_ , she only knew where the bathroom was. But that still four more doors, not including the obvious closet door at the end of the hallway. So she began to search, starting with the left side. The first - as she was already aware - was the bathroom, followed by a laundry room, and finally what appeared to be a studio - or more like two studios in one space. Half of the room was covered in camera equipment and a variety of photos of nature, models, and most of all; Coco herself... _This must have been Velvet's work..._ The other side was equally covered, but by a large number of outfit sketches, piles of fabric, and even a few mannequins. _And Coco's work_... Sadly the room appeared to have been practically abandoned, as everything had a fairly thick layer of dust settled upon it. Feeling her heart begin to sink again, she closed the door and moved on to the right side of the hallway.

The first door led to an empty spare bedroom, which of course did not contain what Pyrrha was looking for, so she moved on. The second and final one had to be the master bedroom. Grabbing the knob and gently twisting, she slowly pushed open the door, revealing another dusty bedroom, but this time it was the right one. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly stepped inside and walked straight to the walk-in closet. She did not want to be there any longer than need be, so she worked quickly. Luckily there was an overnight bag already in there, so she opened it up and started with underwear. Sliding open a couple of the drawers, she began transferring various bras and pairs of panties into the side pockets of the bag. Though while she did so, her mouth curled into a slight smile. _There was a lot of lingerie in here... But I suppose that makes sense, this is Coco's drawer_. Plus, many of the photos from Velvet's side of the studio were of the brunette in her underwear - as well as a few nudes - so perhaps some of them were specifically for photo-shoots. Once Pyrrha determined there was enough underwear packed, she moved onto shirts and pants. Since Coco had told her _nothing fancy_ , she just decided to pack a variety of more casual wear - T-shirts, jeans, sweat pants, pyjamas, a couples sweaters, and a few pairs of short-shorts. After that was done, she zipped up the bag and moved onto her next task: toys. But before she was able to search for anything, she caught a glimpse of two accessories she had not seen in a very long time: Coco's signature beret and aviator sunglasses.

Standing up and picking the two objects up off of the shelf above the hangers, Pyrrha simply held them in her hands for a few moments. They were a constant in Coco's fashion, rarely seen absent, yet so they had been since the funeral. It was... _odd_ to say the least, like she was missing something. Coco almost seemed... _smaller_ without them. After briefly staring at the two accessories, Pyrrha decided to re-open the overnight bag and add them in, hoping her friend will appreciate having them.

Once the bag had been zipped up once again, it was back to searching for Coco's toys. Thankfully that did not take very long, as Pyrrha soon spotted a small chest placed against the back wall of the closet. It actually made her crack a smile, as it looked just like the one she used own before moving in and creating the worship room with Ruby. Honestly it was rather adorable that Coco and Velvet were able to fit all of their toys - at least as far as the redhead could see - in this chest, especially when compared to their own closet _full_ of them. While she was a bit uncomfortable with the idea of touching other peoples' toys, Pyrrha opened up the chest and peered inside, immediately noticing a common trend among the items inside: many of them were _mutual-use_ toys. From what she could see within the colourful pile, there were several sizes and textures of strap-ons, egg and pill vibrators, as well as a few dildos. Unfortunately Coco never specified _what_ she wanted when she brought up the idea, so Pyrrha ended up just grabbing another random bag from inside the closet and packing every toy she knew that could possibly be used solo into it. Perhaps it was a bit much, but she figured it was better to give her friend options than leaving her without a toy she may have wanted.

Once Pyrrha was finished packing the bag - with it being almost completely filled by the time she was done - she picked it and the other bag containing Coco's clothes up and walked back into the bedroom... where she immediately froze, her heart sinking far lower than any other time today. A couple seconds later, the two bags slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with dull thumps. Before now, she had wondered where exactly the taken-down picture frames from the main room had gone, but no longer. Sitting piled on and around the still perfectly-made bed were all the previously missing photos of Velvet, Coco, as well as them both, every single one of them holding a thick layer of dust. Not only that, but a variety of other assorted objects were also strewn around the room - sweaters, books, a laptop, shoes, even a blanket... All formerly belonging to Velvet... It was as if everything that was owned or even related to the Faunus was stockpiled in this room.

Of course that was not enough, as sitting at the foot of the bed was a dusty pair of hiking boots. _Velvet's hiking boots_... Something that reminded Pyrrha of a tradition the two of them used to partake in once a season. For Velvet it was an excuse for some extensive nature photography, and for Pyrrha it was to just connect with nature itself. But for _both_ of them it was a day to connect over their partners, to talk about their lives and whatever worries or stresses they felt. They each wished their respective girlfriends - or after a certain point, fiancé for Pyrrha - would join them, but neither were huge fans of hiking. While Ruby was a sprinter, Coco was a strutter who loved her heels. But even so, the redhead loved those times she spent with Velvet...

If only there had been more...

There had been many times throughout the past day - really the past eight months - where Pyrrha had wanted to cry, to for once in her life just break down and let it all out, but every instance she remained strong. Every time she let her friends and family rely on her while they mourned, always fighting back tears and never giving herself enough time to mourn herself, but that was not the case right now. At this moment... she was completely alone.

So with a shaky breath, Pyrrha closed her eyes, fresh tears streaming down her face.

"Your love will never be forgotten, may Fall guide you unto greener pastures..."

Slowly, Pyrrha sank to her knees... to softly cry.

* * *

Cinder hated not having a life.

While she was extremely thankful to have a job again, most days seem to follow a similar routine: wake up, eat, go to work, come home, then hang around alone in her apartment until she was tired enough to sleep. Of course there were many times where she was joined by Nora, but sadly the redhead was not always available to quell her boredom. Which meant more often than not, Cinder was forced to occupy the large amount of free time she had by herself.

 _I need more friends._

So there she was, sitting in one of her unsteady kitchen chairs, a cup of steaming coffee in hand, idly gazing out the window. By the time Cinder had returned home from her shift, Nora was already busy, judging from the... _noises_ emanating from her apartment, so hanging out with her was not going to be a possibility. Unfortunately she was the only one that Cinder could physically go see, so that meant this particular evening would be spent alone.

 _Well, you could have always joined them. Been a while since you were with someone who wasn't a woman._

 _Absolutely not._

 _Why? Do you look down upon our dear friend?_

 _That's not the reason and you know it._

 _So says the voices in your head. Which one rings true I wonder?_

Placing her coffee cup onto the windowsill to ensure she did not spill it, Cinder slammed her fist on the nearest wall, hoping the pain would silence her irritating thoughts. Thankfully it seemed to do the trick, as she was once again left alone in silence to just... watch what was going on outside. Sure, it was not exactly _exciting_ , but it was all she could really do without Nora. Which was a bit sad when she thought about it, how her entire social life depended on one bubbly redhead.

Taking a sip from her coffee, Cinder let out a sigh, wishing she could be with one of her friends; Nora, Yang, Raven... Hell, she would even take Weiss and Vernal. It was too bad they were all still working - at least those she actually wanted to see - and most likely would be into the late hours of the night. Why did her boss always give her the midday shifts? Of course Cinder was not complaining... as she would very likely be dead without Raven... but perhaps sometime soon she could talk to her about working later. It would certainly solve the _evening boredom_ she had been and was currently facing. Though at the same time... it meant she would have to deal with a larger quantity of customers.

 _Well you know what they say: Practice makes perfect._

Unfortunately that idea, while a good one, did nothing for Cinder's present situation. So she just took another sip of coffee and continued to observe the neighbourhood. At least... until a thought occurred. Turning back to look back at the lumpy mattress she called a bed, her gaze settled on her scroll, which currently sat upon her discarded work clothes. While it was true she could not _physically_ see any of her friends - unless she wanted to go back to _The Perch_ as a customer, which she still kind of lacked the funds for - she could instead text one of them. Well, aside from Nora, who... _had her hands full_ \- as well as... _other places_. There was always Yang, who seemed to enjoy texting her. Though after a few moments, Cinder decided against it, not wanting to be a burden, since the blonde was still in the middle of her shift. Plus, she would likely just end up dragging her down, and there was no need for that today. Yang already did not seem to be in the _greatest_ of moods while they worked, especially after Weiss visited.

So Cinder just let out another sigh, as she simply turned back to continue staring out the window.

 _You should've joined Nora._

And so much for silence. _I couldn't even sell myself._

 _Nora seems to like you just fine_

 _Yes, but she's weird._

 _That's a kind summary._

 _She'd probably like anyone._

 _Which means she'll find someone better, and you'll be all alone here._  
 _In the dark._  
 _With me._

 _Sounds like a nightmare._

 _Reality is a nightmare, everyone wakes up eventually._

 _Eight months and I haven't woken up yet._

 _You were so close._

 _Oh yeah? How's that?_

 _You bought those pills for a reason._

Cinder rolled her eye. _A moronic reason._

 _It's in our nature to escape suffering._

 _It's not so bad now._

 _It will never end._

Cinder felt the need to shrug. _Perhaps, but I have friends now._

 _You had friends then too._

That smile quickly vanished, replaced with a painful scowl as Cinder clenched her free fist. _Those... people weren't real friends._

 _And these are?_

 _I'd like to think so._

 _You think a lot of things._

That only made Cinder clench her fist tighter, gritting her teeth as she did so. _Shut up._

 _Why?_

 _They know what happened and don't hate me._

 _Why bother, you hate yourself._

 _But they don't._

 _They will, just like the others did._

 _Shut up!_

Before the voice could respond, a sudden gunshot emanating from outside the window pulled Cinder from her rather unpleasant thoughts, directing her attention to the street below. There she found two small groups of people - most likely gangs, as they were fairly common in the area - on either side of the road, and they were pointing guns at each other. _Lovely_. It appeared that one of the members on the opposite side of the street had just fired a shot into the air and was currently yelling... something at the other group, Cinder could not quite tell. Though at the same time she did not care, as at least it gave her something to look at other than the empty street.

Minutes ticked by as Cinder sipped her coffee and watched the two groups yell various harsh words at one another, and she wondered if things were going to get more interesting like they did when she had first noticed them. After all, she had seen gangs yell at each other _countless_ times, so just watching another do exactly that would get boring soon enough. Though it seemed this particular day would not like the others, as it was not long before punches began being thrown. It certainly spiced things up a little, but even then, it was only the occasional punch, nothing special. The situation really took a turn when some of the gang members started pulling out guns and aiming them at the opposing group... but not actually firing them. Most likely only for intimidation, which was boring. One should never bring out a weapon unless they were planning to use it-

 _Bang!_

 _Well, I stand corrected._

Another couple minutes passed as Cinder watched the two gangs scramble around the sides of the street, shooting at each other - quite poorly if she was being honest. A few of them were hit, but not anywhere major as far as she could see. Just some shoulder and leg injuries, which were nothing a trip to the hospital would not fix. Though with all the gunshots bring fired, Cinder was sure those hospital trips would be taken from the back of a police car - if they actually showed up. After all, this was essentially a crime-ridden slum. Saying the police tended to avoid the area was a fairly accurate statement. It was unfortunate, but just another one of the realities of living in the area.

Bringing the coffee mug up to her lips once again, Cinder found that it was empty. Letting out a sigh, she got up from her chair and headed to the kitchen to procure herself another cup.

 _I hope I don't miss anything interesting._

* * *

As midnight finally arrived, so too came time for The Perch to close its doors for the day. _Thank gods_. Luckily it was a weekday, so the bar had been empty for the past little while. The only thing that needed to be done was clean, which Yang and Raven were already in the middle of. Though that process was a little slower for the former, as she had not exactly been feeling _great_ since Weiss visited earlier.

Locking the front door to the bar and flipping the sign around from _OPEN_ to _CLOSED_ , Yang let out a tired sigh. Why was it that _every time_ she was having a good day, _something_ had to fuck it up? It was as if the universe did not want her to be happy. Clenching her fist against the glass of the door, she silently cursed at herself.

 _I knew I shouldn't have brought her that far inside..._

While it was true that Yang had taken Weiss home after she became intoxicated _quite_ a few times, this particular instance was different. It began as any other - with the wannabe punk having more drinks than she probably should have - but things took a turn for the worse after she decided she wanted to go home. Of course the actual task of bringing Weiss back to her apartment was no issue... Well, aside from how... _affectionate_ she was being on the ride over. Clinging as close as possible, arms wrapped firmly around her stomach, nuzzled into Yang's back... To say it was distracting was... an understatement to say the least. Though if she was being honest, it was a rather nice feeling, to have someone so close to her like that... even though it was a bit improper given that Weiss was in a relationship - But Yang tried not to think about that part. It was just one person giving their drunk friend a ride home. Nothing more.

Unfortunately the distracting nature of the intoxicated girl was not the worst part of the trip. No, that came after they arrived at Weiss' apartment.

As Yang expected, she had to practically carry the wannabe punk from the parking lot all the way up to her floor, which - while not difficult - appeared to serve as another excuse for Weiss to cling to the blonde. Once again, it was... quite distracting, but Yang did her best to ignore it and just focus on getting to her apartment. Upon reaching the front door and providing a few swift knocks on it... no one answered - which was certainly confusing, as normally whenever Vernal was not working, she was hanging around at home. So after about a minute of waiting, Yang got Weiss to let them into the apartment, since there was no way she was not about to leave the drunk alone outside. Sure it was not a _horrible_ neighbourhood - especially when compared to Cinder's - but it was not exactly the _best_ one either.

Once the two were inside the... rather messy apartment, Yang led her friend over to the living area couch and attempted to coax her onto it so she could get back to work, but sadly it was not that easy. As hard as she tried to remove Weiss from herself, the drunk's arms were like steel cables, doing their best to pull Yang down onto the couch along with her. It was _extremely_ awkward, being stuck, hunched over the other girl in _quite_ the compromising position. Though at the same time... to be that close to Weiss, faces mere inches apart... Yang had to resist the urge to act on her own selfish desires...

It was a good thing she did not have to worry about that for long.

While Yang was unsuccessfully attempting to get her friend off of her, the distant sound of a toilet flushing was heard from farther within the apartment - and it scared the absolute _hell_ out of her. Contrary to her initial belief, it turned out that Vernal was actually home... and if she decided to come into the living area, she would see the blonde practically on top of her drunk girlfriend - Which was a terrifying possibility. Vernal was already not too fond of when Weiss was affectionate with Yang, so seeing the position the two were in would very likely piss her off _quite_ a bit.

And that was _exactly_ what happened, as the first words to come out of the brunette's mouth when she walked in were _The fuck?!_

Yeah, that sounded about right.

Yang remembered just sighing in response - since there was no way she would be able to joke her way out of it - and explaining exactly how they came to be in that position before requesting some assistance in detaching Weiss from her. Thankfully Vernal understood - she had done similar things for other people several times before - and within a couple minutes, they had successfully freed her from Weiss' grip and properly deposited the drunk onto the couch. Unfortunately that did not get Yang off the hook, as Vernal then proceeded to angrily question her about several things.

 _What the fuck happened?_

 _Why didn't she text me?_

And so on and so forth.

To put it simply, the brunette just berated her for several minutes until she was satisfied with the information she received, all while Yang just... took it. She was too tired and uncomfortable to bother defending herself, only wanting to return to work. Luckily Vernal was eventually done with the blonde and allowed her to leave - and not a moment too soon. That was probably the most eager she had ever been to get away from that couple in recent memory.

Once Yang was finally able to get out of that apartment and back to work, all she could feel for through the remainder of her shift was guilt. While she had always been friendly with Weiss, this was the first time Vernal had ever _interrogated_ her over it, like she was somehow... _interfering_ with their relationship. Of course it did not help that Yang knew exactly what was currently going on with the couple, but they were still together... and she knew Weiss was only her friend... Sadly that did nothing to ease her feelings of guilt, causing Yang to go over everything she had ever done around Weiss and agonizing over it.

 _Were the hugs too much?_

 _Did I flirt too hard?_

 _Does everyone else see the same thing?_

 _Am... Am I a homewrecker?_

"Hey, you okay kiddo?" Suddenly came Raven's voice, pulling the blonde from her unpleasant thoughts.

Turning away from the front door, Yang found her mother staring at her with a concerned look on her face. "Huh? Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a little tired."

Raven quirked a brow. "You sure? 'Cause I've seen you tired, and this seems like more than that."

Yang opened her mouth to make another excuse, but she let out a sigh instead, not wanting to lie to her mom, knowing she would figure it out soon enough anyway. "Neo left me."

"Ah, shit why?" Raven wondered.

Yang just shrugged. "I dunno, I think maybe it was the dick she was riding."

"The twerp was cheating on you?"

"More like leading me along." Yang clarified, her gaze falling to the floor. "I don't think she ever considered us serious."

"Damn, sorry you had to deal with a bitch like that. I've had my fair share of shitty exes too." Raven acknowledged. "You doin' alright?"

"Not really, but life goes on." Yang admitted.

"Heh, yeah, sadly... You didn't wanna take a few days off?" Raven offered.

Yang shook her head. "Nah, I can deal with it. But I can't say seeing all the happy couples recently has been easy."

"If by happy you mean making the supply closet smell like a brothel." Raven commented.

Yang actually managed a slight chuckle - since that statement was pretty accurate - before looking back up at her mother. "I mean in general mom. Weiss and Vernal... Ruby and Pyrrha, hell even mom and dad... it just stings a little, seeing everyone with their soul mates... The apartment feels really empty sometimes."

"Well maybe you should work a little harder to put yourself out there instead of just watching cartoons in your underwear all day." Raven suggested.

"Hey that's not fair, sometimes I wear pants." Yang defended.

"That's not the point Yang."

"What, you think I should try those dating apps?" Yang inquired. "I'm not really up for that kinda risk mom."

Raven let out a sigh as she returned to cleaning tables. "Look, all I'm sayin' is that maybe you coop yourself up in your apartment a little too much."

"I don't really have much to do otherwise." Yang admitted. "Ruby's always doin' stuff with Pyrrha, Weiss is with Vernal, and all of my school friends are doing their own thing..."

"Then try goin' out to meet some new people." Raven pressed, dropping the rag on the table to look straight at her daughter. "'Cause you'll never get anywhere just sittin' around at home."

"There's not really anywhere else I wanna go mom." Yang half-mumbled, barely able to keep eye contact.

"So what, you're just gonna sit on your ass all your life? Working the same dead-end job? Never bothering to go out and meet anyone?" Raven questioned.

"It pays the bills, and I'm fine with it." Yang simply answered. "I go out sometimes, just... not as much as I used too."

"It's not about just paying the bills Yang. It's about actually _living your life_ , instead of just every day being the same thing." Raven continued.

Yang frowned. "I _like_ the same thing." She informed, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"When you could be doing so much more?"

"What's more to life than this?" Yang wondered, gesturing to the bar around them. "I'm working in the family business, _your_ business."

Crossing her arms, Raven just shook her head. "You can't work for your washed up mom forever Yang, you're young, and intelligent. You've got opportunities I ignored when I was your age. You should be taking advantage of them."

"You're not _washed up_ mom!" Yang insisted, definitely louder than she meant to. "You're a successful, independent adult and I look up to you every day!"

Raven sighed again. "Yang, look at me. I'm a fuck up. I got lucky with the bar and it's all I've got to my name. Don't waste your life wiping tables."

"I'm not _wasting my life_ , I _like_ this job." Yang defended, anger slowly creeping into her voice. "I like coming into work with you and Qrow, I like talking to the regulars and I like knowing that I have stability. I don't know what will happen if I do anything else, I'm not as smart as you think I am, I don't have any greater ambitions of wants, I just wanna be happy with what I have."

"You're _not_ happy Yang." Raven asserted.

"And how would you know!?" Yang somewhat unintentionally yelled. As much as she did not want to raise her voice at her mother, it pissed her off to have anyone just _tell her_ she was not happy.

"Because whenever you think no ones looking you just fucking _shut down_ , the smile goes and you just stare off at nothing like someone cut your strings." Raven argued, her voice raising as well.

"Oh because I have to be _peppy and smiling_ all the time." Yang shot. "Gotta be the _perfect, bright star_ to keep everyone happy right?"

Raven narrowed her eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Then what _does it mean_?" Yang snapped. "Do you not want me here? Is that it? You want me to fuck off like Summer and Tai did, keep a distance like you're gonna explode? Because I'm not, I _love you_ , and I'm staying. Because otherwise you'd shut down with your strings cut, and I'd have to worry if my _mom_ is gonna fall back into old habits and wind up in hospital again."

"It means I want you to be _better than me_ you idiot!" Raven screamed. "I didn't come back into your life just to watch you grow into some bartender who lives to shove poison down everyone's throat, I want you to be _better_ than me! I want you to be like _Summer_ , and _Ruby_ , and even your damn father, you can be more than this Yang!"

Several moments passed while the two women stared each other down, tears welling in their eyes as they grit their teeth and clenched their shaking fists. The silence, while fairly short, felt like an eternity, both women wanting to continue screaming at one another, but neither said a word. Eventually Yang got fed up with it and walked forward, practically pushing past her mother - who looked like she was ready to throw something - as she stormed off to the back room... but then she stopped in her tracks.

"I don't want _more_ , I just want to _be_ , but it's never good enough for anyone, is it? I'm never good enough."

Yang let those words linger for a moment before continuing behind the bar and into the back room, leaving Raven alone in the main area. She had already not been having the best day, and her own mother just made it worse. As she exited the bar's rear door - and nearly slamming it behind her - tears finally began to stream down her face.

 _Can't I just have one good day?_

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you thought!

And as always, your feedback fuels me!


	16. What you Want

After an... oddly quiet shift spent with Yang at _The Perch_ , it was finally time for another therapy session.

Bidding her friend farewell for the day - and only receiving a sad-looking smile and wave in return, which she would definitely have to look into at a later date - she made her way into the back room, where she met Raven, and the pair headed out. While she was certainly not looking forward to the therapy session, she could also not say she was quite _dreading_ it, which was... at least something.

It was true opening up to a person she did not know was quite difficult - just like Raven had told her - but the longer that she did, the easier it became. Glynda had proven that she had no intention of just _peeling apart her feelings_ or _examining_ her like an experiment, instead actually wanting to... _help_ her. After starting things off by sharing her own story of loss, she spent the rest of the time asking Cinder about various aspects of her life, like her current situation, suffering from insomnia, and much to her dismay; what happened with the accident and her horrible step-family. They were not exactly _pleasant_ topics to discuss, but she got through it, and honestly, she felt a little better after doing so.

"Alright, ready for round two?" Suddenly came Raven's voice from next to Cinder, pulling the younger woman from her thoughts as she felt the vehicle come to a stop.

Turning to face her boss, Cinder timidly nodded. "As I'll ever be."

Raven offered a small smile as she turned off the car and unbuckled her seat belt. "Just remember, you've got nothin' to worry about."

Cinder managed a slight smile in response as she unbuckled her own. "Believe me, I've been attempting to tell myself that all day."

"Well, did it work?" Raven asked.

Looking down at her hands, Cinder found that they were shaking - as she expected - but not nearly as much as the first time she was there for therapy. Though that did not mean she was not scared, far from it actually. The fact that Glynda had _taken it easy_ so to speak during the prior session only served to worry her more. What was she planning to ask Cinder about this time? How deep into her life was she going to dig? Just how was she going to make her cry today? Such questions had been filling her mind all day... Which was a pain. It was too bad that Cinder could not run away and hide, like she once did in high school. Plus, if she were to do that, Emerald would not be there to come find her like she used to...

Cinder let out a sigh. "Not exactly." She finally answered, shaking her head.

"Too many voices to shout over?" Raven wondered.

Cinder raised her brow. "You're familiar?"

"I've started naming them." Raven answered with a slight grin.

 _What a similarity to have_. Cinder thought to herself. _I wonder_... "Do you have one that's constantly horny?"

Raven laughed. "Big time."

"What's its name?" Cinder inquired, genuinely curious, as she had never thought about naming her own voices.

"Daisy."

Cinder raised her brow again. _"Daisy?"_

Raven shrugged. "Yeah, kinda ditzy, definitely the _slept with the teacher to get better grades_ voice."

Cinder thought for a moment at the answer. "I never had any hot teachers."

"I had one, he was gay though." Raven commented.

Cinder let out a small chuckle. "How unfortunate."

"Didn't stop me from fantasizing though." Raven added.

Cinder furrowed her brow. _Fantasizing about a gay man as a woman_? "How would you even have done that?"

"I closed my eyes and imagined being bent over a desk." Raven explained, in more detail than the younger woman would have liked. "Come on Cin it's not rocket science."

"I meant it would have been difficult if you knew he was..." Cinder began before trailing off, realizing what her boss has just said. " _Cin_ , huh?"

"Yeah, is that okay?" Raven wondered.

Cinder nodded. "Of course, I just... didn't expect it is all..." Then her gaze fell. "I haven't been called _Cin_ in quite a long time..."

Raven offered a tired smile. "It's a cute name, suits you."

As much as she tried to fight it, Cinder's cheeks heated up at the statement. "I... Th-Thank you Raven..."

"There's that smile, feelin' better?" Raven inquired.

After a moment, Cinder nodded again, her smile becoming more prominent. "I think I am. Thank you."

"No prob." Raven acknowledged. "Now come on, Glynda's probably waiting for us."

Leaving the car, Cinder almost jumped as the doors shut behind her, anxiety returning full force. Still she soldiered onward, following her superior across the small parking lot, but noticed something as she did. It was like something was... _missing_. The previous time Raven had taken her to therapy, she did not hesitate to take Cinder's hand when she had stopped dead in her tracks out of fear, so walking in without that connection felt... _weird_.

As the pair approached the modest building, Cinder found her gaze wandering down to Raven's hand, unable to look away. _Perhaps... I could take her hand this time... No no that would be weird... Although... she did do it first..._ Several seconds ticked by while she contemplated grabbing her boss' hand, but they were getting closer to the building, which meant she would have to make a decision soon...

 _Fuck it._

Walking a little faster to catch up to Raven, Cinder - almost against her better judgement - Cinder reached out to take the older woman's hand in her own, instinctively intertwining their fingers. A next moment seemed to pass in slow motion as her heart rate began to increase, almost fearing what exactly Raven was going to. Would she accept it? Would she let go? Would she _pull away_? Luckily Cinder received a response fairly quickly, but it was not at all what she was expecting. Rather than saying something about it, or hell even _looking_ at their connected hands, Raven just... gently squeezed. It was... reassuring to say the least, and so warm... Much like the previous time they held hands, it made Cinder feel... _safe_ , as if the impending therapy session was not so scary anymore.

Once again, with Raven taking the lead, the pair made their way into the building, where they were met by Glynda's assistant, Gwen, who quickly fetched her boss from her office. After hugs were exchanged - at least between Glynda and Raven, Cinder received a simple handshake - they were led into the same small room that the prior therapy session took place in. There were a couple other rooms located in the office that Cinder had not seen, and while a bit dumb, she was curious as to what they looked like on the inside.

After everyone had taken their seats - with Cinder and Raven on the couch, and Glynda on the chair opposite from them - the therapist offered a smile. "Why don't we begin with something simple?" She offered. "How have you been feeling recently?"

 _That was an easy answer_. "Dull, overall."

"Why do you say that?" Glynda inquired.

"I have little to occupy my free time." Cinder simply answered.

"Do you not have hobbies?" Glynda continued.

Cinder just shook her head. "I never did."

Glynda's brow furrowed slightly as she wrote something down on her notepad. "Has something changed recently to make you feel this way?"

Cinder thought for a moment. _Had_ anything changed recently? "Not... in particular..." She somewhat hesitantly began. "I suppose I simply feel... _more_."

"Can you elaborate on that?" Glynda requested.

"It's nothing concrete, I think I feel more secure, the pressure no longer stifles me." Cinder explained.

"What sort of pressure?" Glynda asked.

"To... _fight_." Cinder clarified after a moment.

Glynda tilted her head a bit at the response, likely confused as to what it meant. "To fight?"

Cinder let out a sigh, her gaze falling to the floor. "Every day... It felt like I fought everything."

"Why do you say that?" Glynda wondered.

With her gaze still glued to the floor, Cinder shook her head slightly. "Nothing was simple anymore, nothing went my way."

"And do you still feel this way?"

Cinder just shrugged. "It comes and goes, rarely."

A pause followed that answer as Glynda proceeded to silently write a few things down in her notepad. Once finished, she merely looked over the notes for a few moments before looking back up at the younger woman. "Do you have any friends?"

Cinder nodded. "I believe so."

Glynda furrowed her brow. "What makes you say that?"

"There are always doubts." Cinder admitted, as much as she would have preferred not to. Especially in front of Raven.

"Doubts if they're really your friends?" Glynda pressed.

Cinder once again found her gaze falling, not wanting to continue. "A-Among other things."

"What do you mean?" Glynda inquired.

"Sometimes I doubt them, sometimes myself." Cinder sighed, which caused Raven to suddenly let out a breath.

"Ouch."

Glynda immediately shot a glare at her. " _Raven_ , quiet." She ordered, to which the other woman quickly shut her mouth, even shrinking a bit in her seat. _Damn_. "Why do you doubt those who you believe are your friends?"

In truth there were many reasons why Cinder doubted people, though she could likely spend hours discussing that. So she would go with the short version. "My friends in school we're sycophants, my coworkers in the office abandoned me, I no longer hold much in the way of hope."

"I see." Glynda acknowledged, taking pausing again to write in her notepad. "Yet you still believe those around you are your friends? What makes them different?"

 _That's obvious_. "They are all I have. Without them I have nothing... without them I _am_ nothing."

Once again, Glynda paused, this time looking over her notes. "If it's alright with you, I would like to go through each of your current relationships, to see just how they've affected you."

 _That doesn't sound so bad_. "I suppose."

Glynda nodded in response. "How about we start with Raven here? Unless you'd rather begin somewhere else of course."

 _Talk about easy_. "It seems fair."

"How would you describe your relationship with her as it is right now?" Glynda asked.

"Close." Cinder simply answered. There was not really a better way to describe it.

"Can you elaborate on that?" Glynda requested.

"I trust her, more than most, and she doesn't judge me." Cinder explained.

"And how was it that you came to trust her so much?" Glynda continued.

Cinder almost felt the need to scoff. _What an obvious question_. "When she invited me into her home instead of firing me."

"Is this when you passed out?" Glynda wondered, to which the younger woman merely nodded. "Is it simply gratitude, or do you feel a deeper personal connection?"

 _That... was a good question_. "I... don't know..." Cinder mumbled. "Of course I'm extremely grateful for what she's done for me, but I'm unsure about what I feel..."

"Respect? Admiration? affection?"

"Certainly the first two, but I don't know about the third..." Cinder admitted, feeling a slight blush tint her cheeks.

Glynda offered a gentle smile. "Affection is natural, platonic or otherwise. There is no shame in embracing it."

Cinder blinked. "Oh... then I suppose the third as well..."

Raven chuckled a bit. "I feel affection for you too Cin."

Cinder managed a slight grin in response, and the blush that had previously been disappearing began to return. "Shush."

Glynda let out a short yet annoyed sigh. "Unless you have something truly helpful to add, I would prefer it if you would please stay quiet."

"Yep, sorry Glyn." Raven quickly apologized, once again shrinking back in her seat a little. Cinder could not help but smirk at how the therapist could put Raven in her place so easily. She remembered being able to do that to other people once upon a time...

"How do you view Yang?" Glynda inquired.

Cinder opened her mouth to respond, but realized that finding that answer was a bit harder than she thought. What _did_ she think of Yang? Well, she was kind, fun to be around, _extremely_ attractive... overall just a good person that Cinder was fortunate to know. "I've only known her briefly, but I can easily say that she's been the best part of most of my shifts, and a wonderful friend."

"Have you spent time with her outside of work?" Glynda continued.

"Aside from texting, not yet." Cinder answered, then she smiled. "Though I'm sure she's just waiting for the chance to hang out with me."

A brief silence followed before out of the corner of her eye, Cinder saw Raven raise her hand, which caused Glynda to let out a slight sigh. "Yes Raven?"

"Yang's always up to hang out, just ask her what she's up to on the weekend." Raven informed.

Cinder nodded in response. "I will."

"Was that all?" Glynda wondered, clearly not fond of Raven's interruptions.

"Yep, shutting up now."

Glynda then turned back to Cinder. "You said last time that Yang had a partner, Neo?"

Cinder found her smile quickly disappearing, knowing that that was no longer the case. "She... used to. Neo recently dumped her."

"Oh dear, is she handling it well?" Glynda asked, a visible look of concern on her face.

"I'm not sure." Cinder sadly admitted. "I know she stayed at her sister's apartment after it happened, but since then she's seemed fine, aside from today. Though I'm unsure if that's related or not."

Glynda appeared as though she was ready to respond, but found her gaze shifting over to the woman beside Cinder instead - who, unbeknownst to the younger woman, looked downcast at the mention of her daughter's recent mood. "Raven?"

The woman in question shifted uncomfortably in her seat - which her employee could awkwardly feel. "I'll uh, I'll talk to you a bit after this."

Glynda simply nodded, likely having some idea as to what was going on. "Very well, a distraction may be helpful. In times of emotional turmoil, just having someone to speak to can do wonders for a wounded heart."

"It really can..." Cinder mumbled.

"Now, you spoke of your friend Nora quite fondly, was she the first to reach out to you?" Glynda inquired.

 _I guess it's time to change topics_. Cinder thought to herself as she nodded. "She was. Well, after attempting to see if I was interested in... um... h-hooking up."

Glynda's brow raised a bit, as the younger woman expected. "Rather forward, yet not uncommon in this day and age."

Cinder almost felt the need to chuckle. "I would say _forward_ is a bit of an understatement for that girl."

"I take it you were overwhelmed?"

Cinder nodded slightly. "Mostly due to the fact that someone as attractive as her showed a genuine interested in someone who... looks the way I do..."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Cinder." Glynda assured.

"I know, though I'm sure most would agree that... _this_ isn't beauty." Cinder sighed as she looked down at her body, aware of the... _disgusting_ scars that lied beneath her clothes.

"Evidently, Nora disagreed." Glynda noted.

"And she tells me so practically every day." Cinder added, a slight smile spreading across her face.

"And how does she make you feel?" Glynda continued.

That was easy. "Like none of the problems that plague my mind even matter."

Glynda raised a brow slightly. "She affects you so deeply?"

 _That girl could deeply affect anyone_. Cinder thought as she nodded. "I've only know her for a few months, but the way she treats me... it's as if we've been best friends for years."

Glynda's brow proceeded to raise higher. "Best friends? Nothing more?"

"I... I don't know..." Cinder somewhat shamefully admitted. "She had told me she's wanted to be more in the past, but... I feel like it would be taking advantage of her in some way..."

"How so?" Glynda asked.

 _Damnit_. Cinder felt her eye move away from the therapist, unable to meet her gaze. "She has done a great deal since I first moved into that apartment building, so if I were to tell her I wanted more, it would be for the wrong reasons..."

"You feel guilt for all she has given you?" Glynda wondered.

Cinder shook her head, almost hanging it in shame. "I feel guilt for not having anything to give in return."

"Have you not?"

"I _try_ , but... nothing I can do will ever compare to what she's given me..." Cinder mumbled, despising the fact that it was a true statement. Nora deserved so much better than just being a _prostitute_ , living in some shithole of an apartment that was located in arguably one of the worst areas in all of Vale. Unfortunately, much like Cinder herself, life dealt her a terrible hand.

"Friendship, Cinder, is a valuable thing in itself." Glynda assured. "After all, look at me. Perhaps you should speak with Nora about how you feel."

 _Yeah... that's probably a good idea... Maybe then I could figure out what I can actually do for her_. "Okay... I will."

After writing some more in her notepad, Glynda looked back up at the younger woman with another gentle smile. "If I may, would you be comfortable speaking about Emerald?"

 _Not particularly, but it's not like I can really say no_. "Y-Yes..."

"There is no shame in refusal, Cinder." Glynda promised.

 _Yes, but if I don't talk about her now, you're going to make me eventually_. "No, no... it's okay..."

Glynda simply nodded in response. "How did the two of you meet?"

 _Well, that depends on what meeting you mean_. In truth there were two separate times that could be considered _first meetings_. The first occasion was coincidentally on their first day of high school. Cinder and her... _friends_ had been on their way to a class that they shared, when an - at the time - unknown green-haired girl came rushing around the corner and proceeded to run directly into her, causing both of them to drop everything they were holding onto the floor. Emerald then kneeled down to pick the various items up as she apologized profusely, all as Cinder just... _watched_. Once the two girls each had their belongings, Cinder, in her infinite wisdom, merely told her to _watch where she going_ before walking away with her _friends_.

Unfortunately that was nowhere near the last time Cinder would be unpleasant to Emerald. In fact she was just as bad the next time the two met. As it turned out, the pair had several classes together, and the first of them had students partnered up for work. Of course they were paired together, but Cinder did not want anyone dragging her down, so she did everything herself, leaving Emerald to just go along with it.

That was one of the many reasons Cinder had not noticed her future fiancé for so long. She was quiet until spoken to, liked to keep to herself most of the time... and the fact that Cinder was so narcissistic certainly did not help. It was sad really. Emerald had nursed a crush on her almost since the day they met, yet she treated her like nothing more than a _lackey_ for years.

"We had a couple classes together high school..." Cinder finally explained. "But that was when I was a different person..."

Glynda tilted her head a bit in confusion. "How so?"

Cinder let out a sigh. "I was... popular, vain... _cruel_... thinking I was somehow _superior_ to those around me. I viewed her as a convenience, a reality I tolerated."

"What made you treat her this way?" Glynda inquired.

"She followed me everywhere, did as I said, hung onto my every word... She loved me, and I treated her... like a _pet_." Cinder shamefully continued, cringing at the final word.

"When did things change?" Glynda asked.

 _When my sorry ass was put in its place_. "I dated Neo for a time." Cinder answered. "She was similar to me, popular, attractive... I saw her as an equal... then she dumped me like I was nothing... I fell apart, and... E-Emerald was the only one who cared."

"And what followed?"

"I stopped feeling comfortable just... being around people, talking to them... it made me feel... _small_." Cinder admitted, her gaze falling once again.

Glynda then wrote a couple things down before looking back up. "Why was that?"

Cinder took a deep breath. "Emerald... called it social anxiety... she said I tore down others to protect myself."

"Was that accurate?"

Cinder nodded slightly. "It hurt, to hear it so plain, I was angry, and... I took it out on her..." She took a shaky breath, recalling the abuse she hurled at the poor girl. "When she left, the anger faded... and I was scared... I was always scared." Memories of the hours after Emerald left her began to flow through her mind, feeling the dawning reality that she was all Cinder had, the only person she trusted, the only one that truly cared for her...

"Scared of what?" Glynda wondered.

"Everyone, _everything_... Being alone, being hated, being looked down upon... She was right, gods she was always right..." Cinder grit her teeth. "Emerald was the only person who ever gave a _shit_ about me, and I treated her like..." A lump grew in her throat, escaping as a sob, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a ball and sink into the floor, letting the darkness consume and protect her as she fell apart.

Glynda quickly put her notepad down, reaching for the tissue box on the table between the three women. "Would you like a tissue, Cinder?"

Cinder just shook her head, rubbing her eye with her sleeve.

Nodding, Glynda sat back in her seat. "You changed, for the better." She assured.

"Emmy... Emmy always told me, be nice, even if they don't deserve it, because it makes life easier on everyone, even yourself." Cinder sneered, shaking, glaring at the floor through fresh tears. "But look what life did to us. She's _dead_ , and I'm halfway there, barely crawling along, treading water in an endless ocean, shark fins in my peripheral, and no matter how my body screams to just give in, everyone around me keeps dangling hope above my reach as if it'll keep me _motivated_." Cinder spat the final word with malice, coughing into her hand harshly, she felt Raven's hand on her shoulder, and resisted the urge to thrash it off. "I'm tired, sick and _fucking_ tired of false hope and pain. It hurts to fucking _breathe_ , and people still come to me with their problems as if _I_ should give a shit? Fuck them, every last one of them and their insignificant troubles. What point is kindness if life only gives you misery in return..." Cinder's voice faded with those final words. She curled in on herself, fingers clenching her hair, pulling harshly at their roots, the burning pain mingling with the guilt and awareness of her present company. She did not want to look at Raven, she could not handle the disappointment.

"Anger is natural, Cinder, bottling it up only serves to cause us more pain in the long run." Glynda pressed.

" _I'm sorry_..." Cinder managed, her voice barely audible. She received only a shaking head from the therapist.

"Don't be, this is what you need Cinder, to be honest about your feelings. Now we can begin to address them, openly this time."

* * *

In truth, it was not often that Pyrrha felt the need to return home as soon as physically possible - aside from when she received the occasional _naughty photo_ from her usually-lingerie-clad wife - but ever since bringing Coco to their apartment the prior afternoon, she had been anxious to leave their friend alone while she and Ruby were at work. It was only eight hours, but still, she wished that even one of them was able to stay at home with her. After all, that woman had been able to get herself into trouble with a lot less time than that.

Thankfully, after an aggravatingly long day, it was finally time for work to be over. Packing up her things as quickly as she could without appearing as if she was _rushing_ to get out of there - which to be fair, she was - and bidding her work friends farewell for the evening, Pyrrha made her way down to the office's parking garage, practically jumped in her car, and headed home. Luckily there was little in terms of traffic, so her normal drive of over half an hour was reduced to about twenty minutes. Sure, it was not that much of a time difference, but that was okay, anything that allowed her to get home to Coco faster.

Upon arriving at the fifth floor of their apartment building, the metal doors of the elevator opened with a _bing_ and Pyrrha stepped off into the hallway. A short walk later she reached the door labelled _502:_ that being her and Ruby's apartment. Pulling her bundle of keys from her purse, she located the correct one, inserted it into the lock and let herself into the apartment... stopping dead in her tracks upon seeing what lay within.

Currently sprawled out on the main living area couch was a still-pyjama-clad Coco - which of course was no problem, as the brunette was not required to be dressed if she was just staying at home. What was _very much_ a problem was the fact that her friend was loosely holding what appeared to be a half-empty bottle of vodka. The mere sight itself made her blood boil. When she and Ruby had first brought Coco back to their apartment, Pyrrha gave her a small list of _simple_ rules: absolutely no alcohol, no smoking - she would buy her nicotine patches if need be - and to call one of them _immediately_ if she needed anything. Now, it had barely been _one day_ , and she had already broken what was probably the most important rule, as if not even _attempting_ to resist.

As Pyrrha gently closed the front door - having to refrain from slamming it - Coco's gaze shifted from idly staring at the television to the redhead glaring at her from the apartment's front entrance.

"Oh hey Little Red." Coco greeted, offering a slight smile and a wave as she tried to move the alcohol out of view with her cast-covered arm, attempting to hide the fact that she had it in the first place.

Pyrrha merely continued to glare at her friend in response. Truthfully, she wanted to get angry, to yell about how Coco was unable to follow a simple rule, but she was able to stay calm... at least on the outside. On the inside... that was a different story. Instead, Pyrrha decided to silently approach Coco, who's smile began to disappear as she grew closer, stand above her for a moment, a look of pure disappointment on her face, before quickly - and perhaps a bit too roughly - snatching the bottle of vodka from its place next to her, causing the brunette to flinch as she did so. Pyrrha then quietly headed into the kitchen, where she proceeded to uncap it and dump the remainder of the liquor down the drain. Once finished, she just placed the empty bottle aside and moved over to the fridge to take something out for dinner.

"Is there anything specific you would like for dinner?" Pyrrha simply inquired, not even looking back toward the living area. As expected, she received no response from her friend, though that might have been a good thing. After all, Pyrrha would rather Coco not say anything than have to hear her sorry excuses for why she had drank over half a bottle of vodka, _alone_. In truth - and she realized that it was a horrible thing to imagine - she wanted for Coco to stew in her guilt until she was ready to apologize. Thankfully it seemed that she would not have to wait very long. As she continued to search their fairly large fridge - _Perhaps we should have chicken tonight_ \- she heard a quiet voice from the living area.

"I uh, I'm sorry."

Taking a couple packages of raw chicken out of the fridge - not even looking behind her - Pyrrha placed them onto the counter and began retrieving the cookware and ingredients. "And why might that be?"

A brief pause followed. "For... day drinking?"

Pyrrha just frowned, still not turning around to look at her friend. _Playing difficult I see_. "Are you certain that's the _only_ thing?"

Another pause. "Not asking if you wanted any?"

Pyrrha let out a sigh, putting down the spices she was currently holding. "Try again."

A third pause followed, likely from the other woman hesitating on her answer. "I got thirsty." Coco tried to defend. "And water wasn't helping."

"So you believed _vodka_ could quench your thirst?" Pyrrha questioned.

"There wasn't anything else around, and I... couldn't find a good way to distract myself." Coco answered, attempting to justify her decision, which of course the redhead was not buying. She understood very well how difficult it was to keep thoughts of lost loved ones out of her head, but she also knew that alcohol did _absolutely_ nothing to make things better - which was precisely why every bit of wine and other alcohol in the apartment had been hidden and locked away the prior day.

"You could have called one of us." Pyrrha reminded, resuming her task of preparing dinner.

"Didn't wanna bother you with my shit." Coco mumbled.

Pyrrha sighed again, ceasing her preparation of the chicken once again. It seemed that dinner would have to wait. "Coco, why do you think you're here?"

"'Cause I can't take care of myself?" Coco guessed.

Making her way over to the living are, Pyrrha positioned herself behind the main couch to look straight down at her friend, who hesitantly met her gaze. "Because we care about you, we _love_ you, dearly. I'm unsure how many times I'll have to tell you, but I'll say it as many times as I need to. I understand you're in pain, I want to do everything that I possibly can to help you, but I cannot sit idly by and allow you to keep self destructing like this!" She stressed, louder than she meant to, causing the younger woman to flinch and avert her gaze.

"I just..." Coco began after a moment before sighing. "I just wanna have one day where I don't have to think about her..."

"That's the problem Coco, it's not how the heart works..." Pyrrha stressed, slowly walking around the couch and sitting down next to her friend. She then placed a hand upon one of her pyjama-covered legs, thankfully getting her to look at the redhead once again. "Do you think I go even a single day without memories of Jaune filling my mind? Or those of Velvet?" After a moment of silence followed, Coco's gaze fell out of shame, so Pyrrha took the opportunity to continue. "I know you miss her, we all do, not a day goes by where I don't wish she was still with us, but your neglect for your own health has gone far enough." She informed, her tone becoming more stern as her eyes began to narrow. "You and I both know _very_ well that the last thing Velvet would have _ever_ wanted was to watch the love of her life drink and smoke herself to death!"

Another brief silence followed, with Coco still merely staring down at her thighs. The redhead waited for her to say something, _anything_ , but no such response came, which caused her to quietly sigh. As much as she wanted to go easy on her friend, she realized the prior day that that was no longer an option. She just found it so mentally taxing to work so hard to help Coco, only to watch her spiral back down again the moment she was gone.

It almost reminded her of Yang's situation, something that Pyrrha was unfortunately quite used to. Of course it still concerned her quite a bit, but at least her sister-in-law was - for the most part - able to take care of herself, only needing the occasional _pick-me-up_ as it were, such as the recent incident with Neo. Coco meanwhile was actively self-destructing due to her loss, which Pyrrha could sadly relate to, as she could have also lost Ruby in that fire.

Taking a deep breath, the redhead attempted to calm her nerves. She did not want to be as stern as she had been with Coco, but her friend's recent behaviour had left her no choice. Reaching up to the brunette's face, Pyrrha cupped her cheek - as gently as she could manage - and forced her to look at her. Coco tried to avert her gaze from the two emerald eyes staring at her, but Pyrrha easily kept her head in place. "Why do you continue to do this to yourself?"

Coco almost appeared to be on the verge of tears, and in truth, the redhead could feel a lump in her throat as well. "I don't know what else to do." She weakly managed, tears beginning to fill her eyes. "Drinking makes me think of how much Velvs hated it, but being sober just means I can't stop thinking about how disappointed she'd be in what I've become..." The moment Coco was finished talking, she began to break down into a quiet sob, tears streaming down her face and over Pyrrha's left hand. The redhead had to resist comforting her, as unfortunately, she was not finished yet. Though she could not help but wipe away some of the tears with her thumb.

Taking another deep breath, the older woman kept her gaze as stern as she could. "There is a measure of trust in this arrangement, Coco. If we cannot trust you to accept our help alone, there are AA meetings every week, and we will escort you to them." She warned.

With tears still streaming down her face, Coco nodded after a moment. _"Okay..."_

Pyrrha offered a smile in response, her expression easing. "Thank you." She then raised another hand to cup Coco's other cheek, pulling her closer to plant a soft kiss on her forehead, causing the younger woman to manage a smile as well. After that, she wrapped her arms around Coco's shoulders to pull her into a gentle yet still firm hug, the brunette's arms quickly making their way around Pyrrha's waist.

"We love you, Coco."

"Love you too Pyr."

"Would you like to help with dinner?"

Coco just chuckled slightly.

"Like _you_ could ever need help with _cooking_."

* * *

Out of all the times that Cinder had been the passenger in Raven's car, none of them were as... _awkward_ \- for lack of a better term - than the current one. After nearly an hour straight of just talking about her past with Glynda, it felt almost... _weird_ to go more than a couple minutes without speaking at all. Though with everything she had said - and especially _how_ she said some of it - she felt like she should say _something_ to Raven. Otherwise it would likely end up hanging over her for a while.

"I'm... sorry for the way I acted during the session." Cinder finally managed.

Raven just laughed in response, which certainly confused the younger woman. "Don't worry about it, I uh, kinda expected somethin' like that would happen actually. Glynda used to explain her process to me back in the day."

"And does her _process_ normally end like it did today?" Cinder wondered.

"Oh yeah." Raven confirmed, a slight grin spreading across her face. "So you don't need to worry about getting emotional or angry or whatever, Glynda's seen it all."

"That's good to hear..." _Well, I hope that means I didn't embarrass myself in front of both of them_. Cinder thought to herself, beginning to think back on the therapy that she had just gotten out of. After her little... _outburst_ , Glynda decided it would be best to take a short break, before returning to continue their discussion on Emerald. The therapist first asked her about how their dynamic went from what was essentially _master and servant_ to loving equals, and even while describing it _years_ later, the younger woman could _still_ not believe it actually happened.

After her... fight with Emerald - if one could even call that one-sided _berating_ a fight - and Cinder had been left alone, she made what was likely the most important realization of her entire life: that girl was all she had, the only one that ever _truly_ cared for her, and she treated her like garbage. Then once she was gone, Cinder fell apart. Hell, she only made it until the middle of that same night before rushing over to Emerald's dorm room to apologize - and just like she deserved, the door did not open before she did exactly that. More accurately, it was not until Cinder was on her knees and in tears, leaning against the door that Emerald had finally let her in. After that, they - for the first time since meeting - had a _real_ conversation, rather than just Cinder just telling Emerald what to do.

It started with a fair amount of crying and blubbering rants - mostly from the older girl - but eventually it calmed into more understandable confessions of fear and loathing. They each made their feelings clear; how Emerald always hated the way she was treated, but stayed due to her love for other girl, and how Cinder herself regretted every horrendous thing she had said and done to her, not even thinking she was worthy of any kind of forgiveness. But, just like she would prove over and over and _over_ again, Emerald was too good for her, forgiving Cinder after only the first apology. Though that was not enough for her. After spending the night in the younger girl's arms - neither one of them wanted to be alone - Cinder decided that she needed to _properly_ repay Emerald for everything she had done for her, more than just mere words, because that girl deserved absolutely nothing less. And somehow, Emerald still felt the need to do more for her. Of course Cinder certainly attempted to keep the focus away from herself, but as the pair began to spend more time together, Emerald worked just as hard to help her gain her confidence back as she did trying to repay her.

And she could not have been happier.

While it definitely took time, and a lot of comforting on Emerald's side due to the breakup with Neo, the two girls were eventually able to completely move past their prior... _relationship_ \- if one could even call it that - to one where they were finally equals, finally _friends_. Cinder stopped hanging around with those stuck-up jerks that she once called friends - the very same ones that were quick to call her _weak_ for being hurt by the mute - and began spending all her time with Emerald, doing everything in her power to make that girl feel as appreciated as possible. Helping her study for classes, buying her thoughtful gifts every once in a while, taking her out for her favourite food when she was stressed... Truth be told, Cinder did not even realize that she had apparently been courting Emerald the entire time at first. Hell, it only clicked _after_ the girl had asked her out on what she later found out was a date!

It was honestly rather dumb on Cinder's part, considering there were _several_ things that totally _screamed_ that it was a date. First, Emerald asked her out to dinner, which she had never once done before. Lunch? Tons of times, but never dinner - and at a rather high-end restaurant as well, which should have made it obvious on its own. Plus, the fact that it was planned for the same day as _Spring's Bounty_ definitely should have set off some alarms. Next their was her choice of outfit. While Cinder went with a blouse and skinny jeans... if her memory served, while the other girl showed up in an absolutely _lovely_ green open-back, knee-length dress. Of course she had thought of Emerald as naturally pretty - beautiful even - many times in the past, but never so... _stunning_. Normally she was able to keep her eyes focused, but on that particular night, she just... could not stop staring at her friend, like she had laid eyes upon an angel.

And the way Emerald kissed her after the date... It lasted only a few seconds, but to Cinder it felt an eternity. She wished she could have stayed there forever.

"Hey, what are ya thinkin' about?" Suddenly came Raven's voice, pulling the younger woman from her reminiscing.

"Just... what we discussed during the session with Glynda." Cinder answered, just then realizing that they were still in the older woman's car.

"The nice stuff or the... _not so nice_ stuff?" Raven hesitantly wondered.

Cinder managed a smile. "Don't worry, it was nothing unpleasant. Glynda may have brought up a number of memories that I would... rather not have to think about, but this particular time wasn't so bad, at least after a certain point."

Raven offered a tired smile of her own in response. "Glad to hear that. Glynda mentioned how it's been a while since she's seen someone smile during a session."

That actually reminded Cinder. After they had finished, the therapist pulled Raven aside to discuss something while the younger woman was left to wait in the front area. "Speaking of which, what exactly did she want to talk to you about?"

Raven remained silent for a moment, before seemingly remembering that the event happened. "Oh yeah, she... Well, I think uh, I think Glynda kinda confessed to me."

Turning to look at her boss, Cinder raised her brow. "What?"

"I mean, I was kinda dense back then but I knew she liked me, I just thought it'd be bad for her if I tried something, so I didn't." Raven explained, her expression one of regret. "Today she asked me why I never called to ask for a date."

 _That would explain their past couple interactions_. "So what did you say?" Cinder wondered, genuinely curious.

"Well it didn't really register at first." Raven admitted, bringing a hand up to run through her hair. "I just hugged her and said I'd keep better contact."

Cinder offered a smile, even though the older woman would likely barely see it since she was driving. "You should call her then. Don't keep her waiting so long this time."

"I know, I will just..." Raven began before letting out a sigh. "I don't wanna lead her on, she deserves better than that."

"Then don't lead her on." Cinder recommended.

Raven did not answer immediately, instead just staring at the road in front of them. "But... I don't know if I'm ready for that."

"Believe me, you never know when you're ready. It... it took a lot longer than it should have to properly find Emerald..." Then she let out a slight sad chuckle. "She was right in front of me the whole time..."

Raven let out another sigh. "I don't know... I just... don't know how I feel about anything, I never have."

Cinder attempted to offer another smile, hoping her boss would see it. "You'll never know until you try."

"I'll... I'll see how things go but..." Raven started, pausing before shaking her head. "I'll see how things go."

"That's the spirit." Cinder encouraged, glad to see that she was at least planning to give it a shot. After all, from what she had seen, Raven and Glynda seemed like they would be a good couple, so the younger woman could only hope that everything went well. It almost made her chuckle. _I feel like a matchmaker_. Cinder thought to herself, wondering what exactly she may have just set in motion.

" _Yaaaay_..." Raven tiredly smiled, her voice _chalk full_ of sarcasm, eliciting a chuckle from her employee. "Ah shut up. Let's talk about somethin' else."

Cinder chuckled again. "If you insist." She agreed, before quickly realizing that she had no idea what they could talk about. Perhaps they could discuss work? No, no that was stupid. There was no way that Raven would want to talk about their jobs at a time like this. Plus, there would not be much to discuss anyway, since there was not really anything that went on in the bar that Raven did not see, thanks to that one-way mirror she had. But then... what else could they talk about? Well, there was always the _bring up a random topic and hope it sticks_ option...

 _Wait a minute_.

During the session, the topic of Yang had been briefly brought up. After Cinder informed Glynda that the blonde had not been doing well over the past day, Raven mentioned how she would talk to her once the session was over. While Cinder was indeed curious as to what they discussed, she was also not sure it was any of her business. Though at the same time, she had just helped her boss with one of her issues, perhaps she could do it again...

"If I may, what exactly was wrong with Yang earlier today?" Cinder hesitantly inquired, hoping she was not crossing any lines.

Raven remained silent for a moment, merely staring ahead of them with a disheartened expression on her face. "Yang's..." Then she sighed. "Yang's not happy, Cin. She says she is but it's bullshit, and I don't know how to help her."

 _Oh boy_. "Perhaps she could speak to Glynda?" Cinder suggested.

"Thought about it, might've brought it up, but we just fought instead." Raven sadly answered.

"What happened?" Cinder inquired, her face quickly shifting to one of concern.

"I said the wrong words, or went the wrong direction..." Raven attempted to explain. "She thought I was trying to push her away... I just want her to put more thought into her future..."

 _That would explain a lot_. "Is that why she was a bit downcast today?"

Raven nodded slightly. "Kinda hard to bounce back from being told you're not happy by your own mother."

Even though Cinder had not experienced that sort of thing before, as she could not give a _shit_ what her ex-parents thought of her, she did however understand why Yang would be hurt. "Well, have you talked to her since then?" Cinder wondered.

Raven shook her head. "No, I don't know what to say, and she's still gonna be pissed at me."

"It's very likely, but so what? Raven, you can't fix this by just letting things be." Cinder informed. "You _have_ to talk to her."

"I suck at talking, Cin, always have." Raven admitted. "It's what got me into all sorts of shit when I was younger, and I'm even worse when it involves feelings."

 _Boy do I know what that's like_. Cinder thought to herself. "Unfortunately it's your only option, unless you want to potentially lose what you have with your daughter."

"Shit, we barely have _anything_..." Raven almost mumbled. "She works for me, and sometimes we chat..." Then she sighed once again. "My drinking almost cost me what little chance I had with Yang... And since I had already driven Tai off, it was only Summer's endless patience that actually got through my thick skull... That woman was always a better mom than me."

"But that doesn't mean you're a _bad_ mother, Raven." Cinder quickly tried to assure, hating that fact that her boss was saying such things about herself, especially after a therapy session that would not have happened without her. "Answer me this; do you love Yang?"

"Of course I fucking love Yang!" Raven exclaimed. "She's the best damn thing I ever made in my life!"

Due to the older woman's suddenly raised voice, Cinder was hesitant on continuing, but she pushed forward nonetheless. "Then _tell her that!"_

" _It's not that simple_!" Raven near-yelled, slamming her fist on the steering wheel of the still-moving car, causing the younger woman to flinch. "This shit has _always_ got stuck in my throat, my brain gets all numb and I end up sticking my foot in my mouth instead. It's just _easier_ to be a bitch than having to say how I feel."

Staring at her boss' clenched fist for a moment, Cinder timidly reached out and placed her gloved hand upon it. "I understand it's hard to admit one's feelings, but you can't keep avoiding it, and I promise it will be worth it in the end." Emerald's own words flowed from her mouth thoughtlessly as she gave the older woman's fist a reassuring squeeze. A couple seconds ticked by, with Raven just focusing on the road, before her fist loosened, opening up to take gentle hold of Cinder's hand before lowering them to a more comfortable position. It made her smile. _She's holding my hand again_! "Try this; pretend I'm Yang. What would you say to her right now?"

Raven took a moment to think, though sadly to no avail. "I dunno... I'd probably say somethin' stupid like _are you ready to talk now?"_

"Which is of course _not_ the right way to go." Cinder suggested. "Just... tell me what you _want_ to tell Yang."

Taking a deep breath, Raven gave her employee's hand another gentle squeeze. "I want to tell her I love her, and that... I don't really care if she doesn't do much with her life, I just want her to be really happy, and right now, she's not... and it hurts that she can't tell me that."

"Then that's what you tell her." Cinder instructed. "No beating around the bush, just let her know how much how much you love her."

Raven just sighed. "It's not that easy Cin..."

"I know it isn't, but I know you can do it." Cinder encouraged, offering a smile.

A few seconds passed before Raven let out a sad chuckle. "This is supposed to be _my_ job."

"Excuse me, you don't have a monopoly on helping people, Raven." Cinder joked.

"Yeah, but I'm the boss." Raven defended. "I'm supposed to be all _strong and independent_ and shit."

"That doesn't mean you're not allowed to need help every once in a while." Cinder reminded, to which she received only an eye-roll and a small grin from her boss. It was then followed by a brief silence, which was absolutely fine with her, as she had been talking almost nonstop for nearly two hours - and her voice was tired. Actually, she was just all around tired. _Perhaps I should take a nap when I get home..._

"Hey uh, I was watching the news last night and your neighbourhood came up." Came Raven's voice, breaking the silence.

Cinder scoffed. "Generous to call that place a _neighbourhood_."

"Some people got shot, Cin," Raven stressed. "Newscaster called it a _gang dispute_."

"I'm aware, I saw it from outside my window." Cinder informed. "A few shots actually hit my building, and somehow didn't make it look worse."

Raven's eyes suddenly snapped open wide, her entire body tensing, which was felt by the younger woman through their connected hands. " _Bullets hit your building?!"_

"Believe me, the news probably made it sound much worse than it actually was." Cinder attempted to defend.

"People still _shot at your building_ , Cin!" Raven loudly countered.

"And the guy down the hall from me sells guns with filed serials, I've grown used to it." Cinder added.

Raven looked like she could not believe what she was hearing. " _Grown used to it_?! How do you even _live_ in a place that has shit like that going on?!"

Cinder just shrugged. "Sleeping, mostly."

Raven's mouth merely hung open, dumbfounded at her employee. "How are you not lying awake every night, afraid for your life?!"

"Because gangs don't break into random apartments." Cinder answered.

"And what would've happened if you got shot yesterday?" Raven questioned.

"Bled out, or called an ambulance." Cinder guessed.

"And then what am I supposed to do?!" Raven continued, her voice remaining loud. "How are you so calm about this?!"

Cinder shrugged again. "I've been living there for months without incident Raven, Nora for even longer. We've been fine."

"Just because you've _been_ fine doesn't mean you _are_ fine." Raven pressed. "Cin..." Then she sighed. "Yang and I are worried about you."

Cinder smiled in response. "I know you are, it's why I trust you two."

"Then look for another place, for your own sake." Raven told the younger woman. "It's not safe there."

"It's not exactly cheap Raven, Vale is a popular city." Cinder sadly countered, wishing that she could indeed move out.

Raven stayed quiet for a moment. "There's gotta be _somewhere_ that's better than that shithole... and affordable." She responded, briefly looking over at Cinder. "You could always try splitting a place with your friend, Nora. Cheaper that way."

Cinder just let out a small sigh, knowing that was not possible. "She has enough to worry about without me intruding on her life."

Raven actually managed a chuckle. "Even with the little I saw of that girl, I can bet that _intruding_ is the last thing you could ever do with her."

Cinder shook her head. "Regardless, I will not interfere with her business, it's not an option."

"Then please, find a way out of there." Raven urged, not looking at the other woman, but making her worry perfectly clear with another gentle squeeze of her hand.

"I'll have a look through the classifieds, but I may need a raise." Cinder mentioned, a small grin spreading across her face.

"If it helps you to move out, _gladly_."

 _Holy shit that actually worked_. "I'm glad we could come to this conclusion."

Raven laughed. "Hey, this is only for helping you afford a new place. You haven't been around long enough for a _raise_ raise."

 _Maybe I can go further_... "Perhaps if I dodge enough bullets, I will qualify." Cinder wondered aloud.

"If you get shot at again, I'm takin' you in." Raven promised.

Cinder chuckled a bit. _That would sure be nice_. "I'll hold you to it."

"Trust me, I'm a woman of my word." Raven assured. "Just don't get yourself shot at anymore, or the deal's off."

"I'll ask the gang members nicely to put their safeties on." Cinder suggested through another chuckle.

"Good, 'cause if you don't, I'm gonna ask 'em myself." Raven added.

Cinder's chuckle quickly evolved into a laugh. "They'll be shaking in their baggy jeans."

"If they're shooting at my employee? They'd better be."

Cinder just rolled her eye. "Such a mom, you are."

Raven flashed a smile over at the younger woman. "Best worst mom ever."

"I'd drink to that."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

Because as always, your feedback fuels me!

P.S.

Spring's Bounty is essentially Valentine's Day


	17. Big Plan

Would you look at that, barely over 2 weeks and already another chapter! Well there's a reason!

Announcements at the end!

* * *

Cinder awoke to the sound of a _very_ familiar knock upon her front door.

"Cindy? _Cindyyyy? Are you there? Or am I just talkin' to an empty room?"_

Without even opening her eye, Cinder could not help but smile against her pillow. Was Nora really knocking on her door at this hour... Wait, what time even was it? Blindly reaching around her bed, she fumbled for her scroll, eventually locating it underneath her pillow. Cinder then pulled the device free, switched it on - which was followed by her being blinded by the screen - and checked the time, after her eye adjusted.

 **8:26 PM**

 _Oh, I guess that nap was shorter than I thought_. Cinder thought as she rolled onto her back. _It certainly didn't feel that way_... Pulling herself up out of bed, she quickly stretched before stepping onto the somehow always cold carpet and approaching the front door. Before she could even open it to let her friend know she was in fact home, three quick knocks were heard from the other side.

 _Knock knock knock_

"Cindy."

 _Knock knock knock_

"Cindy."

 _Knock knock knock_

"Cindy."

Once again, Cinder could not help but smile, understanding exactly what dumb sitcom Nora was referencing. _What a dork_. Cinder hated that show, she _despised_ it. Especially after years of being made to watch it by Emerald. Though that was more due to lacking the heart to protest when she put it on. Unfortunately for Nora, she absolutely had the heart to deny her now.

"No." Cinder finally responded.

"But whyyy?" Nora whined from the other side of the door.

Cinder hoped the younger woman would know the answer to that by now, as this was not the first time she had done something like that. "If you knock normally, I may decide to let you in."

Nora pouted in response... probably. "But that's no fun!"

Cinder just grinned. "Then I suppose I'm not letting you inside."

"Boooooo!"

Cinder had to resist the urge to laugh. _Damn that girl for being so amusing_. "It's your own fault for knocking in such a ridiculous manner."

"But I have presents!" Nora defended.

Pausing for a moment, Cinder unintentionally raising her brow. "What kind of presents?"

"Let me in and I'll show ya!" Nora cheerfully answered.

Cinder then narrowed her brow slightly. "Will it explode?"

Nora did not answer immediately, which somewhat worried the older woman. "Never _seen_ it explode before."

 _That does not exactly instill confidence_. Cinder thought. "Promise me it will not explode, or cause any other damage to my apartment, or I'm going back to sleep."

"Ah, fine! It's not gonna explode!" Nora promised.

"Or?"

" _Or_ do any other damage to your apartment!" Nora added with a groan.

 _I better not regret this_. "Very well." Cinder acknowledged, accepting what was hopefully the truth and opening her front door, revealing her friend, who was clad in her usual _hang-out_ wear - a white and pink T-shirt equally pink short-shorts - and a baby-blue backpack. If she was being honest, the redhead looked like a child, which was quite amusing.

Upon seeing that the older woman had opened the door for her, Nora immediately grinned. "Hiya Cindy!"

Cinder offered a smile in return. "Good evening Nora. Now, what exactly have you brought me that warrants keeping a secret?" To which her friend merely continued to grin. "Nora?"

Looking down each side of the hallway - which only served to worry Cinder - Nora beckoned her friend closer. Once the two were close enough for the redhead's tastes, she brought a hand up to the side of her mouth. _"Pot."_

It took a moment for Cinder to realize what Nora had just said - she blamed the nap for that part - but once she did, her eye went wide. "You... You actually bought weed for me?" She wondered, honestly dumbfounded at her friend's actions. Though to be fair, this was _Nora_ after all.

"Yup!" The younger woman beamed. "I was hangin' around earlier today with nothin' to do, had no clients for a little while since it was still morning and stuff, and I got to thinkin'. _Hey, Cindy has another one of her therapy sessions today, maybe I should go get her a little somethin' to help her relax after she's done_. So _ta da_! Here I am!"

Cinder could not believe what she was hearing. _She just... went out and bought it on a whim... just like that_. "Thank you Nora, really... What can I do to repay you for this?" To which the redhead just grinned in response, faux-shrugging.

"I guess you could let me in so we could share it."

* * *

"And then there's Yang, she's very nice, hot as _hell_ , relatively funny sometimes if I'm being honest, even if I don't normally give her that satisfaction..." Cinder explained, taking another hit from her blunt. In truth, they had only been smoking the pot that the younger woman brought for about half an hour... probably... but it had already hit them fairly hard - _that girl really bought some strong stuff_ \- as they were currently both lying face-up on her lumpy bed, with their heads at opposite sides of the mattress... and Nora had already abandoned her short-shorts. That girl really hated clothes. Honestly, Cinder was surprised she was even still wearing _anything_. Regular Nora was horny enough, but when she was _high_? There was no telling how far down the gutter her mind would go. "And she has the biggest tits I've ever seen!" Cinder continued after exhaling the smoke, to which she received a laugh from her friend. "I'm serious! They're _huge!"_

Nora just continued to laugh, but soon calmed down, at least enough to speak. "Are they as big as the ones that're attached to that sexy lady you call a boss?"

"Almost exactly!" Cinder confirmed, reaching up to point at the ceiling... for some reason. "I don't understand how _anyone_ could deal with tits that big! I mean the back pains alone would be brutal!"

"My guess, a _butt_ ton of support." Nora responded, bringing her own blunt to her lips to take a hit.

Cinder giggled a bit at the girl's answer. "Don't you mean a _boob_ ton?"

A moment passed before Nora began to giggle herself, though hers was closer to that of a schoolgirl. "You're funny Cindy!"

"Well it's true!" Cinder insisted. If she was being honest, she was a _tad_ jealous of the sizes of Yang and Raven's chests, but was also thankful that her own was not that large. She was quite content with her two single C's. Not so big to give her any sort of back pains, yet not so small that she would feel at all insecure. Plus, both Emerald and Nora seemed to love them, so that was nice.

"Mmmm, don't you just wanna _smother your face in 'em_?" Nora wondered, her mouth curling into a grin as she began to rub her face with her free hand.

As much as Cinder wanted to lie, the weed that was currently in her system was persuading her not to. " _I would be honored_!" She ended up answering, even though it was _not at all_ something she wanted to admit.

"Then you should do it!" Nora encouraged, reaching down to pat one of her friend's legs. "Just walk up to that fox and shove your face in her cleavage!"

"But it would be _weird_!" Cinder whined, _very_ uncharacteristically.

"But sexy!" Nora defended.

 _Well, she's not wrong_... Cinder thought to herself, actually letting such thoughts begin to fill her mind. Stupid pot. _I bet they would be soft... and warm... and squishy... Like mine, but bigger. Much, much bigger_... She was quite thankful she did not say any other that out loud. " _You're_ sexy." Was what came out of her mouth as she poked the redhead in the stomach with one of her toes. At least she _thought_ it was her stomach... Though judging from the giggle that it elicited, she started to think her toe poked something else. Something _squishier_.

"Not as sexy as _you_ , Cindy." Nora countered, reaching over and grabbing one of Cinder's feet, pulling the older woman across the bed.

" _Ah_! Nora!" Cinder half-yelped, half-squeaked as the redhead in question began to plant kiss after kiss upon one of her feet. _"That tickles!"_

As she continued to practically make out with her friend's foot, Nora giggled once again. _"It's a tasty foot!"_

I haven't showered since this morning!" Cinder informed through laughter while attempting to pull away. Unfortunately the younger woman was much stronger than her, and showed no signs of ceasing her peppering of kisses.

Nora just laughed, thankfully stopping her onslaught of kisses, at least for the time being. "Dirty girl!"

"Says the girl kissing my feet!"

Nora was silent for a moment, which certainly worried Cinder, but still meant that she was not kissing her feet. "Would you rather me... _lick it_?" She wondered before beginning to harshly drag her tongue along the older woman's foot, causing her to squeal and attempt to - unsuccessfully - yank her foot away as she shook with laughter. Though as hard as she tried, Nora was able to keep the appendage firmly in her grasp. "Mmmmm, _yummy_!" She grinned, starting to shift from merely licking to full-on bathing her foot in saliva with her lips and tongue.

As much as it tickled - and as high as she was - Cinder could not help but wonder if her friend was _into_ feet, so to speak. "Noraaaa, you're evil!" She whined, still trying to get away from the redhead, but sadly failing miserably.

Nora then proceeded to do her best evil laugh, which in all honesty, was not very good. "Mwahahahaha!"

While it took some time and a fair amount of persuading through laughter, Cinder was _eventually_ able convince Nora to let her go, allowing her to actually catch her breath. Once the two had calmed down - and her foot had dried off - they decided it was time to change positions, ending up with Nora on her back, and Cinder lying against her, using her stomach as a pillow. After they were settled and comfortable, gazing at the ceiling like a couple of stoners, the pair chose to merely lie there, enjoying each other's company. It would have been a pleasant little romantic sight... if Nora had not immediately stripped off her shirt, exposing her bare breasts as she lied back down - _because I was gettin' too warm_ as she put it. _Yeah, says the girl wearing a fairly loose T-shirt_. Though it did give her _quite_ the nice view. _Now that was a pair worth getting jealous over_. But in all honesty, while not especially _exhausted_ , the therapy session still wore her out, so she would rather just relax.

And that was exactly what they did.

The pair spent the next hour or so - it was a bit difficult to tell due to how high they were - simply lying there, engaging in light-hearted conversation, and of course, a fair amount of flirting. Though the latter was pretty normal for hanging around with Nora. Honestly, it had been a long time since had been able to truly feel so relaxed, since before the fire... Cinder could not thank her friend enough, and she made sure to tell her that, over and over and _over_ again.

After a little while of discussing various random topics, Nora began to ask the older woman questions about her life with her new friends that she was still eager to meet - and Cinder figured that it would be a good opportunity to be open about her feelings on the situation as a whole. It was like another one of the _makeshift therapy sessions_ that they used to do. Cinder talked about her new and growing friendship with Yang - which Nora seemed to get a _tad_ jealous of, which was adorable - the emotions she had been dealing with, the therapy sessions with Glynda, and finally, her recent intimacy with Raven. It was a little embarrassing - _especially_ during that last topic - but at the same time, it felt rather... _liberating_ to finally get the chance to talk with someone else about all this - aside from her therapist of course.

"Sooo when are you gonna tell your boss you like her?" Nora wondered after a brief silence, which immediately caused the older woman's face to heat up, much easier than usual. _Damn this stupid drug plant_.

"When there's nothing that could go wrong." Cinder answered, attempting to suppress her blush before her friend saw it.

Reaching down toward the older woman, Nora gave Cinder a pat on the stomach... for some reason. "You gotta take a leap Cindy!"

While the redhead's enthusiasm brought a smile to Cinder's face, it did not exactly give her confidence that she could actually do things right. After all, the only reason she was able to court Emerald was due to her doing it by accident. "Eh, I'll just fall on my face."

"But then she'll catch you!" Nora beamed, throwing her arms into the air for emphasis.

"And then things'll be awkward." Cinder sighed.

Nora giggled in response. "So then you kiss her!"

"And then it will get _more_ awkward!" Cinder whined. " _Noraaaa_ , I don't wanna fuck things up."

"But you won't!" Nora assured. "I'm sure she likes you too!"

Cinder let out a sad huff, bringing her nearly-finished blunt up to her lips to take a hit. " _Likes_ me maybe, but she's got Glynda, she'll never love me."

"Then show her why she _should_ love you!"

Cinder just scoffed. _Love me? How ridiculous_. "Sure, look at me, half baked, mental issues, picture of lovable." She mumbled, rolling her eye at the last word. A few seconds passed before Cinder felt Nora begin to sit up, causing her to yelp slightly as she was essentially dumped onto the bed. Another moment later she found herself staring up at her seated, bare-chested friend, who in turn was looking back down at her with a smile on her face.

"You _are_ lovable!" Nora grinned before practically pinning the older woman down with the combination of her body weight and a strong hug.

Cinder could not help but chuckle, wrapping her free arm around her friend. "Lies."

"Nope!" Nora simply countered as she tightened her hug.

Cinder proceeded to poke the younger woman with the pinky of her now-finished blunt-carrying hand, careful not to drop it. That would likely be a lot of money out the window... and possibly another building burned down. _"Slander."_

Nora then hugged Cinder even tighter than she already was. "Truth!"

"Damnit, I have a reputation to keep!" Cinder complained, attempting to unsuccessfully wiggle free of Nora's grasp.

"And I have a friend to wingwoman!" Nora excitedly defended, nuzzling her head into her friend's neck.

Cinder just rolled her eye. "Ugh, preen why don't you." She mumbled.

Suddenly, Nora released the older woman, partially sitting back up and looking down at her with a smirk. " _Preen_? Okay!" She beamed. Quickly grabbing the hem of Cinder's makeshift pyjama shirt and pushing it upward, she trapped the other woman's head and arms within the inside-out garment before essentially _attacking_ her now-bare stomach with her tongue.

" _Ah_!" Cinder yelped as she felt the wet, tickling sensation upon her belly. "You _greedy little shit_ you're being weird!"

After a few moments of dragging her tongue around her friend's pale stomach, Nora took a break and giggled. "That's me! Now go ask out that sexy lady!"

"Never!" Cinder immediately refused, pulling her shirt the rest of the way over her head and tossing it aside, leaving her entire torso bare for all to see. Though in this case, _all_ just meant Nora, the woman who was currently bathing her midsection in spit.

Nora then ceased her licking and moved forward to meet her friend's gaze, a grin spreading across her face. "Then I'll do it for you!"

Cinder's eye widened in response. _"No you will not!"_

Nora's grin only grew. "Oh _yes I will_! I'm gonna get you a girlfriend and you're gonna love her!" She encouraged, quickly leaning down to peck the older woman on the lips.

"I don't need one!" Cinder attempted to assure, partially to herself.

Nora giggled at her friend's denial. "Well _too bad_! You've got a crush and Nora's gonna help!"

"But I don't want help!" Cinder complained, rolling over onto her side and curling up into a ball. A few seconds passed without her receiving any kind of response, which was a bit worrying, until she heard the redhead giggle again... which was even _more_ worrying.

" _If you say soooooo..._ " Nora hummed before moving out of Cinder's view.

 _That did not sound good_. Cinder thought to herself, still curled up as she listened to her friend shuffle around behind her, feeling every shift that the younger woman caused. _What exactly was she doing back there_? After a few moments of silent listening, Cinder began to hear... _tapping_ noises? "Nora... What are you... doing?"

Nora let out a giggle. "Callin' your sexy boss." She answered, to which Cinder immediately stiffened like a board, whipping around to find the redhead on her scroll, going through her small list of contacts.

 _"WHAT?!"_

Cinder then leaped up to tackle her friend onto the bed, attempting to take her scroll back, but unfortunately was once again unsuccessful. It may have delayed her slightly, but she was unable to prevent Nora from getting her way. "Oh it's ringing!" She beamed, holding the scroll up to her ear.

"Give that back _right now_!" Cinder commanded as she wrestled with her friend in order to try to retrieve her scroll. She would _not_ let that call be answered. Though sadly this was not her day.

"Hello?" Came a voice that was _undoubtedly_ not Raven's. _Thank the Maidens_. It was... higher pitched, and far softer, yet still similar to her boss'. Wait, was that... _Yang?_

 _Oh no._

"Cindy _loooovveess yooouu_!" Nora gushed, much to Cinder's embarrassment.

 _Fuck._

"NORA!" Cinder yelled, still unable to get her scroll back from the other woman, even thought she was practically on top of her.

"What?" Yang responded, thankfully confused. Perhaps Cinder would be able to turn this around before _someone_ made it any worse.

" _And she wants to hug you and kiss you and bury her face in your gigantic cleavage!_ " Nora excitedly continued.

 _Well, I guess not._

Cinder needed to find a way out of this... _problematic_ situation. Nora had just told Yang that she not only loved her, but wanted to hug, kiss, and... do other inappropriate things to her. Unfortunately she had absolutely _no_ idea how to stop the redhead. If Cinder were to cover her mouth with her hand, then she would just lick it, or suck on it, or perform some other weird action upon it. If she shoved her face into a pillow - or shoved a pillow into her face - then the younger woman would merely overpower her. No, she needed something that could _actually_ shut her up. Something that would... _coax_ her into shutting her trap. Cinder frantically looked around, hoping to find anything that could help her, but sadly nothing in the room could do that. Letting out a sigh, she gazed back down at her friend, wondering what she was going to do with her, and her eye spotted something that... perhaps could be of use.

Barely ten... ish minutes ago, Nora had pulled up Cinder's shirt, forcing her to toss it aside in a futile attempt to get her to stop licking her stomach, so now staring down at her bare chest gave her an idea. Sure, it was certainly not the best idea she could have thought of, but at the same time, she was a bit short on options - and she did _not_ want to find out what Nora was planning on telling Yang next. So, with a small sigh, Cinder used all her strength to flip Nora onto her back - eliciting a slight gasp - before practically falling onto her in order to shove her bare breasts directly into the redhead's face.

"MMMMM MPH MPH!" Was luckily all that came out of Nora's covered mouth as she attempted to continue embarrassing her friend.

Thankfully, having two boobs pressed against her face caused Nora to freeze out of shock for just long enough for Cinder to snatch her scroll back. "I'm so sorry!" She burst before hanging up, likely leaving Yang relatively confused as to what exactly just happened. Once the call had been ended, Cinder got off of Nora - releasing her from the smothering - before glaring down at her. "You are such a pain in the ass!"

Nora just giggled. "But I'm _your_ pain in the ass."

As annoyed as Cinder was, she could not help but chuckle. At least she was thinking a little clearer than before due to what her friend just pulled. "Well, you're not wrong."

"I'm never wrong, comes with being perfect!" Nora grinned.

Cinder rolled her eye. "And _so_ humble too."

"Being humble is for peasants, I'm a _Queen_." Nora claimed, gesturing to herself as if she was truly royalty, which looked rather odd in her still-lying-down position.

Cinder chuckled again. "Queen of your own little castle."

"And a _lovely_ little castle she is..." Nora hummed as she sat up, looking up and down Cinder's body with a near-hungry look in her eyes.

Cinder then raised her brow. "Are you calling me a _castle?"_

"Well you do have nice _turrets_." Nora mentioned, a grin spreading across her face.

Cinder just snorted at the comment. " _Turrets_? Can't say I have ever heard someone call them _that_ before."

"And don't get me started on your _moat_!" Nora excitedly added.

Cinder let out a laugh in response. "Oh _please_ , your _turrets_ and _moat_ are far superior to mine."

"You're funny Cindy. I'm just a lowly keep, I don't even compare." Nora assured.

Cinder furrowed her brow, unsure how _anyone_ could say they could not compare to her of all people. " _Lowly keep_? Nora, you're a _kingdom_."

Nora's breath hitched, a choked giggle barely escaping. "Cindy... you sure know how to make a gal blush."

Cinder offered a smile in return, unintentionally shrugging slightly. "I have heard I'm good at courting, even when I don't mean to."

"Heh, _courting_. Nothin' legal about what I do." Nora commented.

 _No... no there is not_. "As if the law could ever stop you."

Nora's gaze suddenly fell a bit. "Well, maybe one day..."

"You would find a way, I'm sure of it." Cinder guaranteed.

A moment passed before Nora smiled, fully. Not a grin, nor a smirk, but a full, genuine smile. "This is why I'm glad you're in my life, you have faith in me."

Cinder offered a smile of her own in response. "It's not hard, Nora. I'm only _alive_ because of you."

With her smile still present, Nora reached over to take gentle hold of her friend's hand. "I only feel like I'm _living_ because of you."

Looking down at their now-connected hands, Cinder chuckled. "What a pair we are."

"Like mismatched, odd socks." Nora giggled.

"With you being the childish colourful one, and me being the old one that's filled with holes." Cinder added.

"Everyone's filled with holes, Cindy." Nora defended.

Cinder's gaze then slowly shifted away from her friend. "Some of us more than others..."

"I think by now some of mine are bigger than yours." Nora informed, giving her friend's hand a reassuring squeeze.

 _Yeah right_. "The only hole on you that's larger than mine is the one in between your legs."

Nora immediately burst into laughter at that comment. "Can't argue there."

"No, no you cannot."

"It's the money-maker, gotta fit all the money." Nora grinned, spreading her legs and running a hand up from her crotch for emphasis.

Cinder giggled in response. "And dick."

Nora then let out a giggle of her own. "I do like dick, but I prefer pussy."

"You and me both." Cinder agreed. "I never quite understood some girls'... _fascination_ with dick. I mean sure it's pleasurable, but it also feels so strange. Almost like you're being _impaled_."

Nora just shrugged. "Some guys have _just_ the right shape and girth to hit the right spot, some of them know how to find that right spot, and others... have a little trouble... You though, you _always_ find my right spot."

Cinder chuckled at the description. "It's not hard when your practically moan me instructions on where to go when I'm between your legs."

"I'm just used to instructing clients." Nora explained.

"It certainly makes my job easier." Cinder added with a slight smirk.

Nora giggled a bit. "And I appreciate you for it."

Cinder then smirked at the redhead. "Also doesn't hurt that I'm already a _master_ at eating women out."

Nora seemed to agree, given the downright aroused expression on her face. "Hmph, gods your tongue is so _limber!"_

"You're damn right it is." Cinder proudly responded.

Nora then began to once again look up and down Cinder's body with a grin on her face, her eyes full of hunger. "And the rest of you... hmmmm... I think the Queen needs a tour of her castle." She purred, slowly leaning closer to her friend.

Cinder quickly raised her brow at the obviously horny redhead. "Oh do you now? What sort of _tour_ are you referring to?

"Just a little inspection, gotta make sure she's takin' care of herself." Nora informed, not even looking at the older woman, instead merely staring at her body. "Maybe... a little spit-shine here and there."

"Well then, do you have the right _key_ to... _let yourself in_?" Cinder playfully wondered.

Nora brought a hand up to her chin. "Hmmm... I've got a lotta keys... some of them are even real."

Cinder quirked her brow once again. "Oh? I suppose you'll have to see if any of them work."

Nora just grinned in response. It honestly appeared as if she was about to start drooling. "Anywhere you'd like me to start?"

Cinder offered a grin of her own. "It's _your_ castle as you say, so you can start where ever you would like to."

Nora grin quickly shifted into a smile, moving onto her knees and crawling toward Cinder, forcing to older woman to lean back until she was on her back once again. She then slowly leaned down to hover over Cinder's mouth. She remained their for a moment, with their lips mere inches apart, until she spoke, her voice barely audible. " _I can think of no better place_." She whispered before meeting Cinder in a gentle kiss.

Though it _certainly_ did not stay gentle for long.

* * *

Yang could not believe it.

For the first time in _quite_ a while, she actually had a date, and to say she was nervous was... well, a bit of an understatement. Though of course, there was a catch, as there always had to be. This was no _ordinary_ date. No, this was one that had been completely set up by Ruby, which only served to make her even _more_ nervous - she never had any idea what to expect with that girl. Unfortunately, it was a bit late to back out now, as it was already time for her to start getting ready, at least if she did not want any chance of being late.

So, as Yang lied upon her living room couch in nothing but a Geistbusters graphic T-shirt and a pair of beige panties, she let out a sigh. While she was still quite nervous, and honestly a bit excited, there was part of her that did _not at all_ want to go out on this date, or even leave the apartment for that matter - and not just because Ruby set it up. Ever since her... argument with her mother, Yang had been feeling like absolute shit, like her entire being was just... _numb_. Work was not enjoyable, she could barely manage a smile for her customers - or even for Cinder - hell, she could not even properly lose herself in cartoons... It was beyond awful. So... maybe it was good that she had accepted Ruby's invitation, as it meant that she would be forced to not only shower, but go outside on a day that she would have normally done neither.

Pulling herself up off of the couch and making her way into the bathroom, Yang stripped off her T-shirt and panties before looking at herself in the mirror. As far as her upper body went - aside from her messy hair - she looked okay, but her lower body... that was a different story. Due to not having any reason to, she had not shaved her legs or crotch since... since Melanie, so now she was faced with the dilemma of whether she should even bother today. On one hand, Yang could easily hide the fact that she had not done it with jeans, but on the other, it might show... _initiative_... or something, if she showed up with freshly shaven legs. Plus, if she was being honest, she much preferred shorts. _Shaved legs it is_. As for her crotch... it was highly unlikely that anyone aside from herself was going to see it today - even if the date _did_ go well - so in the end she decided against it.

After a shower that took a _little_ longer than initially planned, Yang dried herself off and headed to her room to very likely - but hopefully not - spend twenty solid minutes picking out a simple outfit. Opening up the bottom drawer, she began to search for the first items: a fresh set of underwear. Her first instinct was to go with a plain set, like white or tan, but at the same time, this was for a date... So maybe she should wear something a little nicer. Rifling through the various undergarments in the drawer, Yang eventually stumbled upon a couple pieces that could work: a pair of black panties and a leopard-print bra. Sure, they were not _especially fancy_ , but they were at least better than white or tan. Once the underwear had been slipped on, it was onto a more important piece of clothing. Opening up the second highest drawer of her dresser, she rifled through it until pulling out a white pair of short-shorts. They seemed like a surprisingly good enough option, as it had been a while since she wore white. Next, and finally, was a shirt, which was most certainly going to take the longest to pick, since it not only had to be nice, but it had to match her shorts. Though thankfully the latter would not be too hard, due to said shorts being white. Sliding open her closet door, she began her search. _So many choices... Damnit, maybe I should've picked a shirt first..._

 _T-shirt? Nah, too casual. Tank-top? Definitely not. Sweater? Wait, of course not, it's too hot out for that..._

After a few minutes of looking through her closet, Yang eventually picked out one of her favourites; an orange off-shoulder blouse. Though before she closed the door, she took a final peek into the closet. _Man, I sure do own a lot of these things_. She thought, slipping on the shirt before sliding the door closed and making her way back into the bathroom to brush her teeth and put on makeup. The former was a relatively quick process, as usual, but after that was done, Yang was again stuck on what exactly she was going to choose. She did not want to go _too_ heavy on the makeup - to avoid appearing tacky - but not having any was also not an option. A couple minutes passed by, with her merely staring at all the choices, but in the end she settled on her classic purple eye shadow. Once that was applied, she took a final look at herself in the mirror, and actually managed a smile.

"You look great". Yang told herself before retreating into her bedroom, where she grabbed her wallet, keys and scroll. Though for some reason, when she picked up the device, a memory from the prior night decided to pop into her head.

 _Cindy loooovveess yooouu!_

 _And she wants to hug you and kiss you and bury her face in your gigantic cleavage!_

Ever since Yang received that call, those two sentences had echoed through her mind like a broken record. Did... did Cinder really like her... _like that_? If it was indeed true, it would be... _surprising_ to say the least, but not unwanted. After all, Cinder was a _very_ attractive woman, scars and all. Not to mention they got along, enjoyed working together, there was a large enough age gap that some would consider it sexy - yet not enough of a difference for it to be weird - and what would be best of all, Yang could make her laugh. Sure, it was not exactly something that was _needed_ , but when her flirting strategy was one that _heavily_ relied on humour, being able to make the person laugh was a _bit_ of a necessity. _Maybe I'll tease her about it tomorrow at work_. Yang grinned to herself. Though as much as she wanted to continue wondering about whether or not the older woman had a crush on her, it was about time for her to go on that date with the _mystery man or woman_ that Ruby had picked out for her. So, slipping on her shoes and grabbing her motorcycle helmet and jacket, she headed out.

After a relatively short trip - at least shorter than she expected - Yang found herself riding down Amber street, a road that in her many years of living in Vale, she had strangely never gone down. Scanning each side of the street as she rode, she kept her eye out for a place by the name of... _Hot Shots_ if memory served - and hopefully it did, because it was a _little_ late to be checking her scroll for the name. Thankfully Yang soon spotted the building - a small family-owned type place - not too far down the road, so she pulled into the parking area upon reaching it and into a free spot. She then switched off and dismounted Bumblebee before almost carefully removing her helmet. Once it was off, she checked herself out in one of the bike's mirrors to make sure that her hair had not just been screwed up, but of course, that was not the case. _Damn helmet hair._

After Yang had spent an annoyingly long time fixing her messy blonde locks, she straightened herself out, taking one last look in the small mirror before heading towards the café building. Though as she was walking, a realization hit her. _I have absolutely no idea what this person looks like... Well shit. Now how am I supposed to find them_? Approaching the large front windows of the café, Yang - discretely... probably - peered inside, hoping to find _something_ that could help her identify who she was there to see. Unfortunately she saw no such thing, though she was able to spot a familiar face at the front counter. _Hey, maybe Pyrrha could help me..._

 _Wait a minute._

 _What the hell was Pyrrha doing here? Did they give me the wrong address?_

Hesitantly entering the café, Yang made her way over to the front counter, where she found her sister-in-law picking up an ordered cup of coffee. She smiled upon noticing the blonde behind her.

"Good afternoon, Yang." Pyrrha greeted, briefly gazing down to observe her outfit. "You look lovely."

Yang offered a smile in return. "Thanks Pyr." Then she looked around a bit. "So uh, am I in the right place? 'Cause Ruby said I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "Yes, you are in the correct place. Right this way." She requested, leading Yang through the small café to a table in the corner, where they found Ruby sitting with a woman donning a cast on her right arm. Someone who seemed very... _familiar_ , but Yang could not place her name. Long, wavy brown hair, brown eyes... She was _sure_ she knew this person, but could not figure out from where...

Upon noticing her wife and sister standing before them, Ruby grinned. "Yang! You made it!" She burst, nearly jumping out of her chair to wrap Yang in a hug, which the blonde of course reciprocated. After letting her go, she gestured to the other woman sitting at the table, who managed a slight smile. "You remember Coco, right?"

In that moment, it finally clicked for Yang. Coco... _Adel_? As in... the same Coco Adel that used to date Velvet? But she... she looked so... _different_. Her hair lacked the same colour and shine that it once did, her eyes were... _heavy_ , and the confident smile that Yang remembered she wore seemed like it had not graced her features in a long time. She looked... _downcast_. While the blonde barely knew Coco - only through a couple meetings and Ruby constantly talking about her and Velvet - it still sent a pang through her heart to see someone in such a state.

After a moment, Yang realized the three women were staring at her, so she just smiled. "Y-Yeah, of course." She assured, turning to the woman in question. "It's uh, nice to see you again."

"Likewise." Coco responded with a nod before taking a sip from what Yang could only assume was coffee.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Ruby was looking between the two of them with an excited smile on her face, possibly waiting for them to engage in some more interesting conversation. "Well, why don't you sit down Yang?" She wondered, gesturing to the chair across from Coco - the one she had been previously sitting in.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Yang answered, taking a seat in the chair, which her sister quickly pushed in as she sat. "Thanks Rubes."

"No problem!" Ruby smiled, taking a step back to... admire the pair? "Well, if you need anything, Pyr and I will be right over there." She informed, pointing at a table across the room, which her wife was currently sitting at, nursing her own hot beverage. _Wait, wasn't she just here a second ago_? "So you two enjoy your date~!"

As her sister left to go join Pyrrha, it suddenly hit Yang that this _was_ a date. Ruby had set her up on a date with the woman who was essentially Velvet's widow. She may have been a combination of excited and nervous for this before, but that was quickly fading, because from what Yang always heard about those two from her sister, they were as much of soulmates as Ruby and Pyrrha. So now everything just felt... _wrong_ \- and it certainly did not help that the two were currently sitting in awkward silence, with Yang having no idea what to do, or even _say_ for that matter. Should she listen to Ruby and treat it like a date? Or keep it platonic? _Gods this was not how I pictured today going..._

"I feel like we've been pushed in a closet." Coco suddenly commented, pulling the blonde from her thoughts.

Out of all the things that Yang was expecting Coco to say - if she _did_ say anything - a humorous line was definitely not one of them. She was honestly at a bit of a loss for words. Should she reciprocate? Or lean more toward flirting? Or maybe brush it off? It took a moment of consideration, but in the end, Yang just decided to go with what she knew best.

"Heh, yeah. We should totally make out."

A few seconds of silence passed - which began to make Yang think that she went with the _wrong_ option - before Coco let out a small chuckle.

 _Oh thank gods._

"That'll show 'em." Coco responded, the slight smirk still present on her face.

Yang then let out a chuckle of her own. _You know, maybe this won't be as awkward as I thought_. Though before she could get a chance to respond, Ruby appeared next to her with a steaming cup of coffee, which she placed in front of her. "Oh, thanks Rubes, buy you didn't have to."

Ruby merely grinned. "I know!" She acknowledged before walking away to rejoin her wife.

"So what're you in for?" Coco wondered, taking another sip from her own coffee.

Yang furrowed her brow out of confusion. "What am I... _in_ for?"

Coco gave a small nod. "Well I know Big Red set this whole thing up, so I'm wonderin' why she chose you." She explained. "'Cause last time I heard, you were single but not really _lookin' to mingle_."

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but found herself just then realizing what the other woman had said. "Wait, what? _Big Red?"_

Coco chuckled a bit at the blonde's confusion. "My nickname for Ruby. Pyrrha's _Little Red."_

 _Seems a little backwards, but to each their own I guess_. "Alright... But how did you know I wasn't ready to get involved with anyone?" Yang inquired.

"It was well over a year ago now, but Velv once mentioned how she was interested in _spicing things up_ in the bedroom, so in my infinite wisdom, I suggested a threesome." Coco began. "Unfortunately we were a little lacking in the _single friends_ department, and neither of us wanted to find a stranger, so we went to Ruby, who was quick to recommend you before Pyrrha reminded her of your uh, _situation_ as she put it. We were curious, but didn't wanna pry, so we left it at that."

Yang just blinked, somewhat unable to believe what she had heard. "Rubes... recommended me for a threesome?" She wondered, receiving a nod from Coco, prompting her to turn to look at her sister, who merely smiled, not knowing what the pair was talking about. Yang merely smirked slightly before turning back to her date. _Damn, if I would've known that_... "What a little shit that one."

"Got that right." Coco agreed. "So did she send you here 'cause you were _ready to mingle_ again?"

"She... not exactly." Yang answered. "I uh... I keep pining over my ex-best friend." She hesitantly admitted, not exactly _wanting_ to discuss that particular topic. "Rubes thought I could use more... ah how'd she word it... Oh yeah, she thought I could use more _people time_."

Coco chuckled a bit again. "What a coincidence, she said somethin' similar to me. Said I should _get out of the apartment_ for once after having spent practically two days straight on their couch."

Yang raised a brow slightly as she took a fairly large sip of her coffee. "You've been staying at their place?"

Coco nodded. "Well after drunkenly breaking my arm a few days ago, they figured I couldn't support myself anymore, which is probably accurate."

Yang actually managed a smile, though hopefully the other woman did not think she was doing so at her misfortune. "Sounds like we're a match made in heaven."

"Either that or we're just two pretty sad individuals." Coco shrugged.

Yang let out a small chuckle. "Also a very real possibility." Then she took another glance at her sister and sister-in-law, the former attempting to discretely watch them while the latter was on her scroll. Looking back to Coco, she offered a smile. "But at least you've got nothin' to worry about. Rubes and Pyr will take good care of ya, and the latter will be sure to straighten you out. She's like... the mom you need but don't really want, even though you really should."

Taking another sip from her coffee, Coco let out her own chuckle, but it seemed... lacking. "Well, that'd sure beat my actual parents. _Sure you do Coco, It's just a phase Coco, what do you mean you're dating a woman_? Then out of the family I went, all 'cause Velv didn't have a dick like they wanted." Then she looked over at the nearby married couple. "Little Red's mom of the year material compared to that noise."

Even though the other woman's tone was fairly light, Yang could only sit there in silence, unable to form a response after that. What could she even _say_ to a bombshell like that? What kind of parents would do something like that to their own _daughter_? After all, all three of her own parents had accepted her and Ruby without question when they came out, especially considering Raven herself was bisexual, so she knew exactly what the siblings were going through. "Coco... I'm... I'm sorry you had to go through all that..."

Coco simply shook her head. "Don't be, what happened happened, doesn't really mean shit now."

 _Well, I guess that's a decent way of thinking about it_. Yang thought to herself. "Yeah..."

After a few moments of silence, with the two women somewhat awkwardly gazing around, Coco sighed. "I uh... sorry. Didn't mean to kill the mood like that..." Then she huffed. "This is supposed to be a date and I'm bringin' up my depressing family life."

Yang attempted to offer a smile. "It's alright, we've all had our troubles with family."

Coco raised a brow. "Really? Always thought yours was roses and sunshine."

Yang: "Thar'd sure be nice, but not exactly. I mean hell, I didn't even know my _aunt_ was really my mom until I was fifteen. And even when I _did_ know, we didn't exactly become _mother and daughter_ overnight."

"Ruby told me a little over time, but I never got the whole story." Coco mentioned.

"Trust me, it'll only kill the mood even more." Yang assured. "I can tell you some other time when my sister isn't watching from like fifteen feet away, waiting for us to get all _lovey dovey_."

"I could flash my tits, that'll get a reaction." Coco suggested with a slight smirk.

If Yang had been drinking her coffee at that moment, she would have just spit it out. "As hot as that would be, it'd also get a reaction from everyone else here, and likely get us kicked out."

Coco's smirk only grew at the response the blonde gave. "See now you're just making me want to do it."

"Unfortunately I left my smoke bombs in my other bra, so unless you've got a better plan." Yang joked.

Coco chuckled, more genuinely this time. "Yeah, well, I _would_ , but then I'd be disappointing Big Red over there by gettin' us thrown out on the date she set us up on."

Yang let out a sigh. "She's got her claws in you too."

Coco nodded. "Oh yeah, got _so_ excited too when I agreed to this, spent over an _hour_ dressing me up, trying to find the _perfect outfit_." She explained, leaning back in her chair and gesturing to the deep red blouse and beige cardigan she was currently wearing for emphasis.

"Can't say she's got bad taste though." Yang complimented, which caused the other woman to smile.

"Thanks Yang. Glad to know practically being that girl's doll for almost two hours paid off."

Yang could not help but grin slightly. "Did she do your hair as well?"

"Oh did she ever." Coco answered, rolling her eyes as she did. "I think she went through like... six or seven different hairstyles before finally settling on this one." She was sure to unenthusiastically show off her hair as she spoke, which was partially pulled back into a low ponytail, while her bangs were done to resemble a longer version of what they used to look like when her hair was far shorter - minus the streak of caramel on the right side of course, which appeared to be long gone.

"She's like, one of the only people I actually _like_ touching my hair." Yang informed. _Her, Summer, Weiss... and Blake_. She remembered when the latter used to practice hair-styling on her... Even now, she could not believe that she let her now-ex-friend do that.

"Yep, her and Velv for me." Coco added. "Anyone else that touches my hair gets a fist in their face."

"Some people would pay for the privilege." Yang noted.

Coco chuckled at the idea. "Wouldn't that be nice. _Two minutes of hair-touching? That'll be twenty bucks."_

"Then all we'd need is a throne and some half naked slave to feed us grapes." Yang continued.

"A half-naked slave with _huge tits_." Coco corrected with a grin. "Details, Yang."

"Huge tits are overrated." Yang assured, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, these things are such a hassle..." She gestured at her larger-than-average chest before raising a finger. "Now a nice rear? I can get behind that, in _several_ ways."

Coco brought a hand up to her chin in thought. "I dunno about that. A good ass is cool and all, but a nicely proportioned set of tits can fuckin' _hypnotize_ me."

"Yeah, it's all well and good until you're the one who has 'em." Yang argued, continuing to drink her hot beverage.

"Sounds like you need a little more support." Coco smirked.

Yang chuckled a bit. "Man I can't afford those fancy ass super bra's, Coco."

Coco then shrugged. "Could always just pay someone to hold them for you."

"Could probably pay 'em in sex." Yang added.

Coco immediately quirked a brow. "Damn, must be some good sex if you can use it as currency."

Taking a sip of her drink, Yang smiled, but it soon faded. "I've learned I can do one thing well, but even then it's usually not enough."

Coco let out a small huff. "Yeah... I know that feeling pretty well too."

Staring down at her coffee for a moment, Yang sighed. "I caught my ex riding a giant on her couch." _And I can't believe I just said that_.

Coco blinked in response, seemingly at a loss for words. "Shit, really?" To which the other woman nodded. "Ah, fuck, that... that really sucks Yang. Sorry you had to deal with a bitch like that."

Yang managed a sad smile at her date, but was unable to look her in the eyes for very long. "Honestly, the worst part was afterward, when I realized how stupid I was, all the signs... I wanted it to be more than it was, but it wasn't, and I couldn't accept that."

"Well... at least it's over now, you know?" Coco offered. "At least now she's not stringing you alone anymore."

After a moment, Yang nodded slightly. "Yeah... yeah... It just sucks, you get left with that hurt, and everyone else seems fine with their lives."

"Trust me, I understand that." Coco quickly assured. "When... When Velv died, everyone was there for me, and it made dealing with the fact that she was gone a little easier... But eventually they all started to move on, you know, _get on with their lives_ and stuff, and I was left alone, having to go home everyday to an empty apartment..."

Even though she honestly had no idea what the other woman had to go through, Yang also understood the feeling of suddenly having an apartment all to herself. "Reminds me of when Ruby moved out, all this space, nothing to fill it."

Coco nodded in agreement as she took another sip. "Makes you hate living alone sometimes, huh?" Then she managed a slight smirk, though the blonde was unsure at what. "Also, _that's what she said."_

Yang had to resist the urge to burst out laughing in the middle of the café. It had been quite a while since she had heard someone make that joke - So she decided to play along. "I've got _so_ much space, fill me with everything you got."

Coco raised a brow at the Yang's response. "Oh yeah? That kinda sounds like an offer."

"I've got a perfectly good kitchen I can fill with food." Yang added with a grin.

With a smile on her face, Coco brought her mug up to her lips to take a slow sip, seemingly in consideration. "That depends, how good of a cook are you compared to Little Red?"

"Pyrrha's never been able to make a burger like I can." Yang confidently answered.

"I'm sure that woman could make _anything_ if she tried. But how good are _your_ burgers?" Coco wondered, actually appearing to be fairly interested in the answer.

"They won a fifty lien gift card from a cook-off once." Yang once again confidently answered.

Coco's eyes widened at the blonde's response as she placed down her cup. "Damn girl, why are we here when you could be making us burgers?"

Yang just rolled her eyes. "'Cause Rubes and Pyr want to pen us up in public so we don't start dancing on tables drunk."

Taking a brief look over at the married couple in question, Coco sighed as she turned back to her date. "Couple 'a buzzkills those two."

Turning her head a bit to discretely peek at her sister and sister-in-law, Yang grinned slightly, watching as the two raised from the seats, one of them heading towards the front of the café, the other to the bathroom. "Come on, while they're not watchin', let's bounce before they can chase us."

Coco immediately smiled at the offer. "Sounds like my kinda plan."

As the two quickly finished their respective drinks and Yang began to put on her motorcycle jacket, Yang chuckled. "We'll be a power couple yet, Adel."

"Damn straight." Coco agreed, joining the blonde in discretely pushing in her own chair. "Even though _straight_ describes neither of us."

"Like a fucking crazy straw." Yang added, picking up her helmet from its place underneath her chair.

Coco paused for a moment. "Speaking of... you got any of those at your place?" She inquired. "I would _love_ to use of those things again, it's been _years_."

Yang blinked in response, almost unable to believe what she just heard. " _Dude_ , we're gonna get along."

Coco just grinned. "You're just figuring that out now?"

Yang let out another chuckle. "Hey, I gotta take things a _little_ slow, girl's gotta be sure."

"Fair point, don't wanna rush into anything." Coco acknowledged as the pair practically snuck out of the small café and began walking through the parking lot.

Honestly, as nervous and somewhat doubtful as Yang was of this date, she was having a great time, and could not wait to get back to her apartment so the pair could enjoy a couple of well-made burgers. _Wait, I do have hamburger meat in the freezer, right_? Actually, it did not matter. If Yang did not have any, she was sure as hell going out to buy some. After all, she had screwed up enough dates in the past, so she was going to make sure that did not happen on this one.

"Honestly, burgers are kinda better than sex." Coco mentioned, pulling the blonde from her thoughts.

"I mean, as long as they're well-made." Yang agreed. "But yeah, less cleanup, and they taste better."

"Low expectations." Coco commented.

"And cheap." Yang added as the two arrived at Bumblebee.

Coco then took a moment to admire the yellow, orange and black motorcycle in front of them. "Damn, sweet ride."

As Yang walked around the bike, she smiled. "Thanks, I call her _Bumblebee_." She explained, opening up the seat compartment, only to find it empty. There was supposed to be a black helmet in there... "Ah shit, I think I forgot the extra helmet at home. Uh, you okay with using mine?" Yang wondered, holding up her helmet for the other woman to see.

Looking at the flame-decaled helmet for a moment, Coco shifted her gaze back up to the blonde and shrugged. "Sure, but if I get lice I'm gonna shave your head."

Yang let out a chuckle at the threat. "If I give you lice, I'll _help_." She promised, handing over her helmet to the brunette, who put it on as she mounted the motorcycle.

"It smells like oranges in here." Coco observed, buckling up the helmet.

Yang chucked again as she felt Coco carefully mount the motorcycle behind her. "Considering I'm the only one who uses it and my shampoo is orange-scented, I'd be surprised if it didn't." Once the other woman was settled in the passenger seat, she turned her head to face her. "Alright, hold on tight, just not onto my tits. I've had tons of guys and gals _accidentally_ do that before."

"Those things are too big to _accidentally_ grab." Coco laughed.

"Yet somehow it keeps happening!" Yang burst, pulling out a key from her pocket and inserting it into the ignition.

From underneath the helmet, Coco rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Some people just can't keep themselves from gettin' a little handsy."

Yang then chuckled once more as she turned on the bike and pulled out of the parking spot. "I mean, they're _great fun_ I know, but come on, time and place ya'know?"

Though before the blonde could start up the motorcycle's engine, she felt Coco's arms snake around her chest, linking around her solar plexus, snugly beneath her breasts. "Don't worry, I'll hold these softly." She purred, lightly nudging the mounds from below. It caused Yang's eyes to immediately widen, a blush beginning to tint her cheeks as she looked down at the two arms pushing up on her breasts. After a moment of silence, Coco snickered from behind her. "Kidding." She assured, loosening her arms a bit and lowering them to be over the other woman's stomach. "Damn, you got some hard abs, girl."

Yang huffed a laugh, shaking her head. "You're such a bitch."

Coco's laugh was quickly lost in the engine's roar, as Yang pulled Bumblebee out of the parking lot and sped down the road.

* * *

And there it is! Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

Anywho, announcement time!

.

To make a long-ish story short, last year, Terminal and I discussed the possibility of writing a Christmas-themed one-shot, but never did. A couple weeks ago I revisited the idea, we talked some more, made some major changes, and now we're gonna actually write it!

So, OLC will be going on a short break until sometime around the end of the year (aka whenever this one-shot is finished).

To give a little synopsis, the story is called Out of the Bag, focusing around a Solstice dinner party, but as the name suggests, not all will be sunshine and rainbows. I'm hoping we can get it out in the next couple weeks, but it's gonna be a long one, soooo most likely closer to 3 weeks.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading, and as always, your feedback fuels us!


	18. Reconcile

_One year, six months ago_

Weiss was feeling great.

It had been several weeks since she... well, _escaped_ to Vale - for lack of a better term - and she was finally beginning to settle into her new life. She had never lived alone with anyone before, let alone a _new girlfriend_ , so suddenly moving into someone else's apartment had taken quite a lot of getting used to. It was quite the odd feeling, living with Vernal, _fending for herself_ , so to speak, but not unpleasant. Not in the slightest. Sure, it was certainly not the easiest situation to get a grip on - especially considering where she came from - but all her life, Weiss had been the _isolated rich girl_ , never having been able to stray far from her father's stern grasp, and now... she was free.

Was it a perfect life? Of course not. Vernal could be a tad... rough around the edges sometimes, but that did not matter. Weiss had felt better in the past few weeks than she _ever_ did in that big empty manor she once called home. She had been sleeping better, waking up earlier, feeling more energetic throughout the day, and most importantly, she had not had any bad thoughts or urges since before her first night in this apartment. It was... honestly indescribable. Not only that, but Weiss did not feel the need to look _her best_ anymore, because no matter her appearance, Vernal made her feel beautiful anyway. One thing she did notice was that the messier she appeared, the more her girlfriend seemed to smile and compliment her. Definitely a bit unorthodox, but a nice surprise nonetheless.

After their initial one-night stand, Vernal saw to it to introduce Weiss to the rest of her little family at the bar... which she only then realized was called _The Perch_... _Really shows how utterly wasted I was that night_. First there was one of the other servers: Yang, this bubbly blonde who was likely the friendliest person she had ever met - even including her adorable sister, Ruby, who she met soon after with her -fiance-, Pyrrha. Next there was her uncle, Qrow, who was... certainly an interesting man to interact with. A bit too flirty for her tastes, but at least he was not unpleasant. Finally, the boss: Raven. The one word Weiss could think of to describe her was... _tired_ , like she could not give less of a shit if she tried. An interesting bunch to say the least, but even after only a few weeks, she could tell they were good people.

The only major downside of the move was that Weiss had been unsuccessful in finding a job so far. Of course, she was still in the process of transferring money from her old bank account to her new one, but she was not about to fully rely on a finite pool of funds. Especially since she still had a number of things to buy. A larger tube of toothpaste, more floss, blades for her razor, shampoo, soap, deodorant, tampons - essentially a full-sized set of toiletries - and most importantly, _clothes_. Considering when Weiss moved in, there was only enough in her suitcase for _maybe_ a week. So, the search for a new wardrobe began, just... not how she originally planned. At first, Weiss merely bought _more of the same_ \- a lot of designer labels of whites, greys, pale colours, things like that - but the more she found herself wearing Vernal's shirts each morning, the more she felt the need to alter her own style. It was a bit odd, but she was almost... _more comfortable_ in clothes that were completely different than those that she was used to wearing, what she was _told_ to wear.

Even now, as Weiss attempted to get pancakes right for when Vernal woke up, she was still clad in nothing but a pair of white panties and one of her girlfriend's deep-red band T-shirts. Or... at least she was fairly certain it was not hers. Over the past couple weeks of slowly buying new clothes, she had noticed that her wardrobe was beginning to... _take inspiration_ from Vernal's. What used to be... sterile, and _soulless_ , was now a patchwork of punk, flannel, leather and band shirts, skinny jeans and short-shorts - or _booty shorts_ as Vernal referred to them as. Though even with all of that, she still found herself wearing her girlfriend's clothes every so often. Were they a bit too large for? Of course, but Weiss did not care. She liked it. They were cozy, and smelled like stale smoke, musk, and cheap deodorant. Things that that should normally disgust her, but represent the only thing that set her free. They smelled of _Vernal_ , as if she were being held by her. In all honesty, she felt safe, free, _wanted_. Three things that she had never in her life felt outside of the few truly private moments she got with Winter, when they could actually spend time alone as sisters.

Weiss remembered how she and Winter used to talk about all the crazy things that they wanted to try. Running away, getting elaborate tattoos, dying their hair a series of absurd colours... Unfortunately those were merely dreams... before they were forced to grow up. When they were young, the sisters attempted to treat life like an adventure, but their father drilled into them that it was a series of trials that they must always succeed, _always_ be perfect, and manifest that perfection. Or else it would destroy them. Yeah, real model parenting right there. _Well, not like mom was any better_. But none of that mattered anymore. Weiss was finally free from that man's grasp, and she was going to do everything that was impossible before. Everything that her father would hate.

First came the escape. Losing his _favourite daughter_ to some random bartender was sure to piss him off, and the fact that it was a chick likely made it even worse. He always despised that she was mainly attracted to women, as it probably ruined his plan to have her set up with a son of one of his rich business colleagues. Next was the dramatic change in wardrobe. He would kill her if he even _knew_ the types of clothes she was beginning to wear now. Band shirts? Leather? _Booty shorts_? Gods, it would give him a stroke. But it also made Weiss feel so... _alive_ , knowing for a fact that she was doing all these things that her father would absolutely detest. She wanted to go further. But... what else could she do? She already ran away to another continent, moved in with a woman that she had only just had a one-night stand with, completely abandoned her old wardrobe... _Wait a minute._

Briefly lowering the heat on the stove, Weiss leaned down to catch her reflection in the stove window below. One of the only things that were still the same about her was the ivory locks that currently flowed down passed her shoulders. Her father always hated it when she even let her hair down, but... that was not enough. No, she needed something more drastic. More... _absurd_. Then it hit her. _Perhaps... I could get it dyed... I bet it would look great in another colour, like... black. Oh I know Vernal would love that..._

Then a firm knocking rung upon the front door, startling Weiss, and pulling her from her rather pleasant thoughts. Looking toward the apartment entrance, she furrowed her brow. It was barely past nine in the morning, so... who could that be? No one visited ever Vernal, unless they called ahead of course... Turning off the stove and putting her cooking utensils aside, Weiss hesitantly made her way through the apartment. Unfortunately, what awaited her on the other side would leave her absolutely frozen. Upon opening the door, what stood before her was an exceptionally large man, dressed in a jet-black suit, shirt and tie. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses, but Weiss could still feel his piercing gaze. For a moment, she was confused as to who this man was, or why he was there... but then he spoke, voice deep as raspy, like steel scraping against rocks.

"Weiss Schnee? Your father says it's time to come home."

Merely hearing those words sent a wave of panic through Weiss' entire being. _He found me_... Her first instinct was to slam the door in his face, to run and hide, somewhere where she could not be found, but it was as if her whole body was frozen solid. All she could manage was to stare at this huge man before her, eyes wide in fear as her heartbeat shot through the roof, breathing becoming unsteady. She wanted so badly to get out of there, but her legs refused to move. Weiss had a feeling something like this would happen at some point, but... she thought she would be more prepared...

After several moments of unbearable silence, Weiss' legs decided that they would obey her again, but sadly it was of no use, as the moment she took a step back, she slipped on one of her new sneakers, yelping as she fell to the floor with a painful thump. Now she was staring even farther up in sheer horror at this giant of a man, tears starting to pool in her eyes as she began shaking slightly.

 _I can't go back there... I won't..._

 _Someone help me..._

"Hey, asshole, the fuck did you do to my girl?"

With tears now streaming down her cheeks, Weiss slowly turned her head to find a rather tired-looking Vernal, clad in a faded-brown tank top and a pair of black panties, expression that of pure aggravation as she stopped next to her girlfriend.

"I was sent here by Mr. Schnee to bring his daughter home to Atlas at once." The man explained. "And if she does not come willingly, I have been informed that her bank account will be drained, and her inheritance stripped away."

 _But... I haven't finished transferring my funds yet..._

All of a sudden, Weiss felt a poke on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw her girlfriend a hand, which she took with her still shaking hand before being pulled to her unsteady feet.

"You said you didn't wanna go back there, yeah?" Vernal inquired, to which her partner just nodded slightly. She then turned to the man at their doorstep, smirking a bit. "Alright, you've got your answer, douche in black. Now fuck off, and relay the same to Daddy Mustache McGee."

"I'm sorry, but I must insist-"

"And I've gotta _insist_ that you get your ass off our fuckin' doorstep and back to your boss before I decide to break your fucking nose." Vernal threatened, taking a step forward, which actually caused the man to back up a bit. "She's not comin' with you."

"This is not up for discussion-"

" _I'm not going with you_!" Weiss yelled, actually taking a step forward as well, reaching out to grab her partner's hand as she glared through tears at the man that was attempting to take her back to her father. There was no way in hell that she was going to leave this place, her _new life_ , and if she had to lose the remaining balance in her old bank account, or her _precious inheritance_ to do it, then so be it. As far as she was concerned, she did not want to be a _Schnee_ any longer. From this point forward, she was just _Weiss_.

"That is unfortunate to hear. I'm sure your father will be profoundly disappointed." The man warned, finally turning away and walking down the hallway as Vernal almost slammed the door behind him.

"What a prick." She spat.

Rather than speaking, Weiss merely threw her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, squeezing tight as her trembling legs threatened to collapse beneath her, and Vernal half reciprocated with a pat on the back. _"Thank you..."_

"Don't mention it." Vernal assured. "Wasn't about to let some jackass in a suit take you somewhere you don't wanna go."

After a few moments of silence, the tremors faded, and Weiss found herself listening to the beat of Vernal's heart, steady and strong. But eventually, she had to release her, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Now that she was almost officially separated from her old life, it was time for a change. "Hey... Vernal?"

"Sup?"

"I... I-I want to dye my hair." Weiss informed, managing a small, teary smile.

Vernal quirked a brow at the idea. "What? Why?"

Weiss merely shrugged a bit, her gaze falling to the floor in slight embarrassment. "I don't know... I just... want the change."

A moment passed, then Vernal grinned a bit, likely at the mental image of her girlfriend with differently-coloured hair. "Alright, come on then. Let's get you cleaned up, and we'll go to the store."

* * *

 _Present day_

As Weiss almost nervously stood outside the front door to her and Vernal's apartment, just having arrived there from work, she took a deep breath.

 _You can do this._

 _No, I can't._

 _Yes, you can. She's your girlfriend for fuck sake. You know you can tell her anything._

 _Then why am I standing outside my own apartment door like a little bitch?_

 _Because you're nervous. Just do what you always do: Count to three, and walk in, whether you're ready or not._

 _One..._

 _Two..._

 _Three._

Pulling her key from her pocket, Weiss timidly inserted into the lock, opened the door, and stepped into the apartment. While she knew that Vernal would not be at work, since her own shift had ended a little while ago, she was hoping that her girlfriend would be napping, or at least out of the apartment, so that she could have a little more time to prepare. Unfortunately for her, the woman in question was currently at the kitchen table, fiddling with one of the parts from her motorcycle - likely adjusting or fixing it. Upon seeing her girlfriend, Vernal offered a slightly tired-looking smile.

"Hey Snowflake, have fun at work?" Vernal wondered, taking a sip from the beer that was sitting on the table next to her little project.

Weiss just rolled her eyes as she hung up her leather jacket. "Is that really a question? Fuck no." She grumbled, before pausing, merely staring at the hung up item. _Don't let her distract you this time. You can do this_. Taking another deep breath, she hesitantly turned to her partner. "Vernal... I think we need to talk."

Raising a brow, Vernal put the can back onto the table. "Uh oh, am I in trouble or somethin'?"

Though she was trying her absolute best to remain focused, Weiss could not help but smile at the reaction. Even with the two not quite being _in sync_ since her confession of love, that woman was still able to amuse her. _No, stop it. Focus_. She told herself, closing her eyes for a moment before approaching the living area and sitting upon the couch. A brief silence followed, with Weiss attempting to find the words, but sadly coming up with nothing. She loved Vernal, so very much, but she was also afraid of what might come from this talk. "No, but it's... it's a couch talk."

Freezing for a moment, Vernal put down her tools, then nodded. "I'll go wash my hands. You want a drink?"

"Water, please." Weiss requested, to which her girlfriend simply nodded again before standing and heading to the kitchen sink. While she washed her hands, Weiss got an unfortunate chance to stew in her anxiety. _Just breathe. You can do this. Everything is going to be fine. It will just be nice, calm conversation where we'll get a chance to work things out. No problem. I just have to-_

"Here." Vernal suddenly spoke, causing the other woman to flinch, as she turned to see her girlfriend holding out a glass of water for her.

"Oh, thank you." Weiss almost mumbled as she took the beverage, taking a small sip before timidly holding it in her lap.

"So..." Vernal began as she took a seat on the couch next to her partner, comfortably leaning back and bringing the beer can to her lips for a drink. "This a _life_ problem, or a _people_ problem?

Weiss merely stared at the glass in her lap, unable to look up at the woman before her. "It's an... _us_ problem."

Upon hearing that answer, Vernal reached up to rub the back of her head. "Ah, did I uh, did I hurt you? I know you said not to be gentle, but..."

"No!" Weiss quickly interrupted. "No... It's not... _sex-related_... I just..." Then she sighed, her gaze falling to the glass in her lap again. "I told you that I loved you, and... you didn't say it back..."

Vernal was quiet for a moment, idly staring off at the other side of the room. "Oh... ah..."

"I thought after all this time you would feel the same, but... I understand if you don't..." Weiss mumbled, her gaze remaining glued to her drink.

"It's not that I don't lo- I mean I- but, no... I uh..." Vernal heaved a deep sigh, rubbing her chin. "All that matters is I care about you. I just wanna make you happy, it's all I ever wanted."

Weiss could not even manage to look up at her girlfriend. "But... you don't love me..." She really thought that she had accepted that fact _days_ ago, but... hearing it again... really hit hard. Almost as if it set her back to square one. After years of being alone, Weiss _finally_ thought she had found someone who loved her for who she was, just as she loved them, but it seemed that that was not true. As she merely sat there in silence, thinking about the admission, one thought went through her mind: _What has the last year been then?_

"Why does it matter what I feel, or what words I describe it with?" Vernal bit, crossing her legs on the couch and fumbling her hands together. "I like havin' you here, and you know I _hate_ having people at my place, but every day we're here, together, and I'm happy with you. All I want is to make you happy too."

Even with how she was currently feeling, Weiss could not help but smile a bit. "I'm happy with you too..." Then she paused. "Do... Do you think you _could_ ever love me?"

Vernal just shifted uncomfortably before shrugging. "I... S-sure, maybe, it's... just a big word to handle."

Finally looking up from her glass, Weiss looked at her girlfriend, though still finding it difficult to maintain eye contact. "I know it is... b-but... we've been not only dating but _living_ together for over a year... I just... _never mind_..."

"Don't... Don't be afraid of bringing things up with me, Weiss." Vernal attempted to assure, though sadly to no real avail. "I know I'm not... I'm not great at all this, but I wanna try, for you, I really do."

After a moment, Weiss nodded slightly. "You're right... I'm... I-I'm sorry...

"No, _no no no_ , don't be sorry, Weiss." Vernal stressed as she reached out, freezing halfway before taking Weiss' hands into her own. "It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm just... I'm _me_ , and you're... You know what you want and that's fine, okay, never be sorry for wanting more. It's what got you here, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Weiss just shook her head. "No, I... I should not have dumped that on you... We should have discussed it first..."

"Weiss, we're not really- well, _I'm_ not really the _discussin'_ type." Vernal reminded. "Either we talk or we don't, and I don't want you to think I can't listen, it's okay."

A brief pause followed, with Weiss merely staring at the pair's connected hands. Now that she was aware that her girlfriend... did not love her... One question began to circle her mind. "Is... Is there a reason why you don't love me?"

Vernal quickly shook her head at the question. "No, Weiss, it's not you, you're perfect... This is a _me_ problem."

Finally looking up to meet her girlfriend's gaze, Weiss instinctively squeezed her hands. "Then _tell me_ , and we can work on it. You said you can listen, I can too."

After a moment of the pair just staring into each other's eyes, Vernal's gaze fell. "I... I can't. I'm not ready for that."

Upon hearing the other woman's admission, Weiss froze, unsure if she just heard that right. Ever since they met, she had trusted Vernal with _everything_ , and now... there was something that she could not tell her? _Does... she not trust me enough_? After several moments of silence, Weiss let her hands slip from her girlfriend's as she nodded slightly. "Okay..." She murmured, voice barely above a whisper. Slowly raising from her seat, she slowly made her way out of the living area, tears beginning to pool in her eyes as she did so.

Weiss heard her name softly called from behind her, but could not bear to turn around.

* * *

For the first time since Coco began staying with them, Pyrrha and Ruby were finally able to have some alone time.

It was an afternoon for relaxation, an empty apartment, clean and calm. No work to distract them, no friend to take care of, nothing. Coco was out with Yang having burgers... at least according to the former's texts, so now it was just two lovers, one laying back against the other on their living area couch, as they idly watched a show that was currently on TV. As innocent as can be. With Ruby comfortably in her arms, Pyrrha tilted her head down to plant a soft kiss upon her wife's, eliciting a small giggle. While it had only been a few days, it really felt like it had been a while since the last time they just... _relaxed_ like this together. Between busy jobs, at times a near-alcoholic sister, and now and injured and depressed friend, time such as this was somewhat difficult to come by, and like always, Pyrrha was not about to let it go to waste. But Ruby, being the simple soul that she was, did not want to go hiking, or working out, or out for a nice lunch. Instead, she wanted to snuggle up on the couch, calmly relaxing together, the TV droning on some program that Pyrrha was not really paying attention to, as she focused on the dozing woman in her lap. Her scent, her body, how it felt pressed up against her own... It was almost funny. Even though they had been together for so many years, it never ceased to be the most wonderful feeling in the world.

Though at the same time, one other thing that the couple had not been able to indulge in recently had left Pyrrha feeling a tad... _pent up_ in certain regards. So now finally having the apartment all to themselves for a while seemed like the perfect opportunity to remedy that. So, pulling her arms back slightly, Pyrrha slipped her hands beneath Ruby's shirt and started lightly trailing her fingers along her stomach, drawing out suppressed giggles from her partner. Though after a few moments, those giggles began to trail into soft whimpers, as her position shifted with the gentle touch of her wife's fingers.

" _Pyrrha..._ " Ruby quietly moaned, reaching up to take hold of the other woman's right hand, slowly pushing it down toward the hem of her jeans.

And that was all Pyrrha needed. With a grin spreading across her face, she accepted her wife's invitation, slipping a hand under both her pants and underwear, past the small patch of hair to meet the damp warmth below, while the other moved upward to begin fondling one of her breasts. As her hands went to work, Ruby let out a series of soft moans as her body began to react to her partner's touch. After a few moments, Pyrrha felt her wife start to move, so she pulled her hands away as Ruby flipped around to straddle her, a blushing smile gracing her features. Once she was settled, the redhead grinned, displaying her right hand for her partner to see before licking the wetness from her fingers, causing the woman atop her to shiver. Upon slowly finishing with the last digit, she began to lean forward, but was quickly interrupted by lips attacking her own. Taken by surprise, she was unable to contain the slight moan that escaped her. It was not often that she was able to see Ruby like this, as Pyrrha normally drove everything, but ever so often, her wife got a burst of energy, allowing her to partially take the lead.

Rare and sweet, to experience Ruby so hungry, so passionate it was awe inspiring. People so often saw Pyrrha as the more beautiful of the pair, because she was tall and strong, but to her, she was nothing in the face of Ruby. So comfortable in her skin, oblivious to her true beauty, and in times such as these, she was a goddess, and Pyrrha wanted to worship her until the end of time.

So that was exactly what she did.

As the couple passionately kissed, Pyrrha once again slipped her hands under her wife's shirt, but this time not for her breasts. Instead, she reached up to just above Ruby's bra strap and clawed down her back, causing her to arch her back as she shuddered with pleasure. Then she paused, pulling back from the kiss to grin at the redhead, reaching down to grip the hem of her shirt before pulling it up over her head and tossing it aside, revealing a plain white bra, which she soon unclipped and discarded as well, exposing her bare chest. Gods, Pyrrha loved this view.

Ruby then leaned forward to continue their fiery kiss, but Pyrrha had... _another_ idea in mind. Raising a hand to place a finger upon her partner's lips, she grinned, planting a quick peck on her cheek before trailing kisses downward, lower and lower until she reached her breasts. Pyrrha gave one a kiss, then the other - both eliciting giggles from her wife - before she moved on to lavish each one with her tongue, drawing out a series of louder moans as Ruby wrapped her arms around the back of her head, fingers running through her red locks. Sure, she might not have the largest cup size around - especially when compared to her wife or sister - but the redhead still loved them all the same. And every time they were in a position such as this, she was able to prove it to her lover, with her mouth.

Unfortunately, Pyrrha would not be able to tend to her lover for very long, as the sound of punk rock was soon heard emanating from Ruby's pocket, signaling that there was an incoming call. And even worse, she knew _exactly_ who was on the other side. Normally, when the couple was... _interrupted_ in this particular regard, they would first check to ensure that it was not an emergency, then return to their activities, but with the knowledge of who was currently calling her wife, Pyrrha was beginning to... _lose her appetite_ , so to speak. Though at the same time, she found herself... _confused_ , as she knew that person only called when Yang had fallen off the wagon again, but... she was currently with Coco, so... what reason did they have to call?

Leaning back to slip her scroll from her pocket, Ruby's eyes widened in excitement as she turned the device toward her wife to show off the name that currently displayed on the screen: _Blakey_. While Pyrrha was not exactly _happy_ to see that name again, she knew very well that Blake was like a second sister to Ruby, and that she sorely missed her. Her wife viewed that woman as family, and though what happened with her and Yang was a sad mistake, she only wanted them to heal. And Pyrrha understood that. She wished that Blake had never done what she did to her now ex-friend, but the unfortunate truth was that what happened happened, and Yang had to suffer the consequences.

"Hi Blake!" Ruby burst upon answering the call, which even given the circumstances, was a tad amusing, as she was still completely bare from the waist up and currently straddling the redhead. "Long time no talk! How's it goin'? Uhuh... Uhuh... No freakin' way! Are you serious?! That's awesome! Uhuh... Yeah... Well I'd have to talk to Pyr about it, but there's always... you know what, lemme call you back in a few, 'kay? Alright, see ya."

Pyrrha had a bad feeling about that call. The fact that not only had Yang's name not been brought up a single time, but Ruby said that she needed to speak with her about something... It meant that there was something in that conversation that she was not going to like. Not in the slightest. Taking a breath to prepare herself, Pyrrha put on a warm smile, not only for her wife, but for herself.

Lowering the scroll to her lap, Ruby almost uneasily looked up at her partner. "Hey, Pyr?"

The woman in question merely kept her smile as best she could. "Is everything alright, sweetheart?"

Ruby was silent for a moment, struggling to maintain eye contact with her wife. "Y-yeah, um... I uh... i-it's just that... B-Blake is... thinking of visiting Vale next week... for a trip- er, a little vacation- t-to see some old friends, and uh, I was thinking... um... M-Maybe she could stay here? If that's okay with you of course! I don't wanna force anything on you, it's why I said I'd talk to you first before offering anything... It'd be really nice to see her again... But it's okay if you don't want her staying here! I totally get it! I uh... Sorry, I'm rambling..."

While Pyrrha was _certainly_ not happy to hear news that Blake of all people was looking to visit Vale once again, she did her best to not let her smile falter, for Ruby. She did not want to displease her wife by immediately shooting down the idea, but... the thought of that woman staying in their _home_... It almost made her feel sick to her stomach. Not because she would have to see her again, no, not at all. Pyrrha could not care less if there was any awkwardness between the two of them, considering they were never really _friends_ , per se. Rather, she did not want her around _Yang_. That woman had done quite enough to her sister-in-law over the years, and after so long watching watching Yang suffer with Blake making absolutely no effort to ever reach back, she had lost the right to even try.

Pyrrha was unable to resist the weary sigh that escaped her. "While I wish to respect the feelings you have for your friend, I must admit, I have grown tired of dealing with the issue of Blake. After all, has Yang not suffered enough?"

"I..." Ruby began, before trailing off as her gaze fell. "I wanna try, just one more time... I know nothing's really worked so far, but... Just give me one last chance, Pyr, and if it doesn't go well... that'll be the end of it. Promise."

Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha exhaled. "Fine, _but_." She held up a finger as Ruby froze mid-smile. "We will have words when she arrives."

Ruby managed a small smile in response, before nodding. "Thanks, Pyr."

Upon seeing her partner's expression, Pyrrha almost frowned, as she felt... _guilty_ for almost refusing her like that. She hated feeling like that about anything, and she hated how... _ugly_ her feelings on Blake were, especially when Ruby was still so hopeful. The fact that her own _wife_ was so nervous to talk to her about something was... _shameful_ for her. They should _never_ be even _remotely_ scared to talk to one another about anything. That was not how their marriage worked.

Doing her best to offer a warm smile, Pyrrha helped Ruby off of her lap and back onto the couch, where they both shifted to normal positions. "I... apologize for worrying you, Ruby. You should never feel nervous to broach any kind of subject with me." She almost mumbled, leaning in to wrap her wife in a gentle hug. After a few moments, they separated, and Pyrrha smiled once more. "Since Yang and Coco are occupied having their burgers, it seems we must alter our dinner plans. Would you like to have takeout?"

Ruby immediately perked up at the offer. "You bet! I do!" She burst. "How about... Floretta's?"

"I could go for some classic Mistrali pizza." Pyrrha agreed, standing from the couch. "I'm guessing you want your usual plain cheese?"

"Yes please!" Ruby excitedly answered, reaching down to collect her shirt and bra off the floor.

"Very well. I shall be back shortly." Pyrrha informed, heading toward the front foyer to grab her purse and shoes. Though as she turned away from her wife, her smile faltered. While she was glad to hear that this would be the final time the couple would have to deal with the problem that was Blake Belladonna, there were still things that she needed to... _prepare for_ , so to speak.

And for that, Pyrrha needed some time to herself to think.

* * *

For the first time in quite a long while, Raven was terrified.

It had been _days_ since she and Yang had fought, and... the two had not really spoken since. Of course there had been numerous times where Raven _wanted_ to talk to her, to say everything that she and Cinder had spoken about after the younger woman's last therapy session with Glynda, but... she could never bring herself to do it. Instead, she merely... sat by for several days while her own daughter was _miserable_... all because of the bullshit that _she_ told her. _I yelled at her... told her she was wasting her life_... Just thinking about that fight made Raven want to cry. Much... Much like she did when she got home that night. It was unfortunate that Cinder had already gone home earlier that day, as she really could have used her company. But, what happened happened, and finally, enough was enough. It was the end of the day, and she was going to talk to her daughter, no matter how difficult it would probably end up being, or how scared she was. But that did not matter. Not today.

 _I'm... gonna fix things._

 _I won't... I won't lose her... not again..._

Slowly standing from her desk chair, Raven took a deep yet shaky breath. _You can do this_. She told herself, briefly looking out the office window to observe Yang and Cinder quietly cleaning tables. _Alright, it's now or never_. Taking one more deep breath, Raven made her way out of her office and almost silently through the door to the front area. Neither of the other woman seemed to notice her, so she was left to just nervously idle around the door for close to a full minute. She opened her mouth several times, wanting so badly to call her daughter's name, but nothing came out. Thankfully, as usual, Cinder saved her ass by noticing her awkwardly standing there behind the counter.

"Is everything alright, Raven?" Cinder wondered, prompting the blonde to also turn to look in the older woman's direction, but as soon as she noticed it was her mother, she merely turned back to continue cleaning the table she was at.

"I uh... I just..." Raven began, but found herself unable to continue, as she almost helplessly stared at her daughter.

Following her boss' gaze, Cinder turned back to Raven and nodded slightly, before looking to her coworker. "Yang? I believe your mother would like to speak to you in her office."

Putting down the rag she was holding, Yang let out a tired sigh. "'Kay." She simply responded, before quietly walked through the main room to the bar, where she flipped open the hatch and headed into the back area, not even looking at her mother.

While it hurt to see that, Raven still managed to flash a tired smile at Cinder before following the blonde. _Twice in one day, Cinder saves my ass_. Slowly making her way into her office and closing the door behind her, she found her daughter just standing in the middle of the room, faced away with arms crossed, staring at the floor in front of her. Raven took a couple steps into the room, opening her mouth to speak, but... nothing came out. What should she even say? What _could_ she even say? She knew that Yang was obviously still pissed, so then... _What do I do_...? Seemingly noticing her mother there, Yang turned around, but remained silent, merely staring at her with a troubled expression on her face.

"Yang, I... um..." Raven started, but trailed off, letting out a sigh as her gaze fell to the floor. She had always been terrible with words - expressing her feelings for Tai, expressing her feelings to _Summer_ , hell, she could barely tell Yang she was her _mother_ \- but now was not the time, she needed to say something. _Anything_. She was not going to lose her daughter over this. Then Raven heard it. A voice. Not her own, but _Cinder's_ , repeating something that she said to her when the two had originally spoken about their fight.

 _No beating around the bush, just let her know how much you love her._

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but once again, she could not find the words. So instead, she did the only thing she could think of, just stepping forward and wrapping Yang in a tight hug, one hand her back, the other reaching up to gently hold the back of her head. As her daughter hesitantly reciprocated, Raven instinctively squeezed tighter. "I'm... I'm sorry, Yang..." She morosely began. "I shouldn't have said any of that shit... I just... I just want you to be happy... that's all I ever wanted for you."

"Thanks, mom..." Yang acknowledged, tightening her hug. "And I'm sorry too... I-I didn't mean what I said..."

Raven just let out a bitter laugh. "It's okay to mean some of it, I know I'm not perfect."

"I still shouldn't have said it..." Yang mumbled.

"I needed to hear it." Raven assured. "We just suck at talking, it's what you got from me."

"I didn't just get poor social skills from you, mom." Yang defended. "I got a lotta good stuff too. You know that."

Raven chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I know... But I just..." Then she sighed. "I wish you could've been more like Summer... She got a proper education and a career, all while raising a daughter, _two_ daughters... All I did was become nothing but a bad influence on my own daughter..." That woman was everything that Raven only _wished_ she could be, but... was not, because she did not have the strength, or faith in herself.

"You're not a bad influence, mom." Yang stressed. "It's not your fault I'm like this, it's mine, and if I didn't have you, I'd be way worse."

 _Yeah, right_. "If you didn't have me, you'd have Summer, and you'd be much better off."

"If I didn't have you, I'd always wonder why..." Yang countered "You're my mom, and I love you."

Raven felt her lip quiver at the statement. "I love you too, Yang... so much..." As a brief silence followed, tears stung at the back of her eyes as she tightened her hold around her sniffling daughter, who, unbeknownst to her mother, began to cry as well. How long had it been since they held each other for so long? Certainly a while.

After a few moments, Yang sniffled again. "I'm... not doing great, mom."

"I know..." Raven acknowledged, pulling the younger woman closer. "You wanna... talk about it?"

Yang just let out a sigh. "I'm trying, just trying to get along with things... Working helps distract me, makes me feel like I've got some direction in life. If I didn't have this... I don't think I'd bother getting up some days."

"Well... maybe try goin' out and meeting someone?" Raven suggested, hoping it would stick. "That could always help with motivation and stuff... at least it did for me when I met Summer and Tai..."

"I uh, kinda am." Yang informed. "Rubes and Pyr tried to hook me up with their friend, Coco."

Raven thought for a moment. "Coco... Adel?" She wondered, as she was always losing track of some of their friends.

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's uh, that's good to hear, kiddo... How's that goin'?" Raven somewhat awkwardly inquired. It was always a bit difficult asking about her daughter's love life, especially after the shit that happened with her now ex-friend, Blake.

"It's... It's goin'." Yang simply answered, which did not exactly instill confidence. "We're not exactly in a good place for each other, but we help."

"Do you like spendin' time together?" Raven asked.

Even though they were still holding each other, Yang shrugged. "It's fun, I guess. Coco's good company."

 _At least she's not unhappy, unlike with that little runt... whatever the fuck her name was_. "Then that's what counts. You don't gotta be perfect for each other to make it work. Hell, look at Vernal and Weiss. You ever expect _them_ to last so long?"

"Eh... I try not to think about Vernal too much." Yang admitted, clearly uncomfortable with the subject, but with her mother being the dense brick that she was, did not catch it.

Instead, Raven just chuckled a bit. "Yeah, guess it's easier not to think too hard about it."

"Yeah..."

Following another brief silence of the two merely enjoying each other's company, they eventually separated after a final reassuring squeeze. With both of them wiping tears from their eyes, they each offered a tired smile before Yang began to head toward the office door to return to her cleanup duties.

"Look, I won't try to stop you from working, but if you ever want to take a day or two off, it's okay."

Briefly turning her head to face her mother, Yang smiled again. "Thanks, mom. And if you ever wanna do the same, you know I can run things here for a while."

Raven let out a bitter chuckle. "Even if I did, I wouldn't have anything to do. My social life died years ago."

Yang just shrugged. "Well you could always hang out with Cinder, you two seem to be getting along."

"I mean, we haven't killed each other yet." Raven commented.

"Which is pretty good for you, mom." Yang reminded with a slight smirk.

"Hey, no implications, I'm just trying to be a good boss." Raven admitted.

"And you are. Best boss I've ever had." Yang complimented, her smirk shifting into a brighter smile.

"I'm like, the only boss you've ever had." Raven mentioned.

Yang only let out a laugh at the comment. "Not important."

"Probably important." Raven countered. "But what do I know, I've had like, four jobs, and three of them were walk ins."

"Yeah yeah, no need to rub it in." Yang half-grumbled.

After a moment, the two women both laughed. Though as her daughter went to leave again, Raven called out. "Hey, can you go grab Cin for me? I wanna talk to her for a sec."

Turning back to face her mother, Yang quirked a brow, grinning slightly as she did so. It was then that the older woman realized that she had never referred to Cinder as _Cin_ in front of anyone before. _Well that's a little embarrassing_. "Sure, I'll grab _Cin_ for ya."

Raven just rolled her eyes, a small smile gracing her features as the blonde opened the office door. _She's gonna hold that over me for a while_. "Just go, before I fire you."

Yang only chuckled at the faux-threat. "Yes ma'am." She agreed before leaving the office.

As her daughter closed the door behind her, Raven was left alone. Though, not for very long, as the door to her office soon opened, revealing an unexpectedly somewhat-flustered Cinder, who, upon seeing the older woman's still-tear-stained face, immediately approached her with a look of concern.

"Raven, are you alright?" Cinder inquired, slowly walking closer to her boss, until they were barely a couple feet apart.

Even though she opened her mouth to respond, Raven did not end up speaking. Instead, she merely took a step forward, and almost against her better judgement - knowing full well that the two were not quite _at that level_ yet, so to speak - wrapped Cinder in a tight hug, much like how she did with her daughter. What followed was a slight gasp from the younger woman, clearly shocked that her boss of all people was hugging her in such a way, but Raven did not care. She just squeezed tighter. Though not too tight of course. Cinder was not nearly as strong as Yang was.

" _Thank you_..." Raven mumbled, voice barely above a whisper, as she had to fight back fresh tears.

Cinder just blinked, unsure of exactly what to do in the current situation. All she could really do was attempt to stop her cheeks from heating up. Which so far was very unsuccessful. Out of everyone she knew, she thought that her boss would normally be the person least likely to ever hug her - well, aside from Vernal of course - yet here she was, with two strong arms currently wrapped around her shoulders. With her heart racing in her chest, after a few moments of silence, she hesitantly reached around to hug the older woman back. "Y-You're... you're welcome... Raven..." _This... feels really nice... and warm..._

After several moments of the two women merely standing there, relishing in the warmth that the hug offered, they finally separated, each taking a step back. Upon seeing her employee's face again, Raven noticed that she had quite the deep blush on her face. It was... honestly rather cute. The last time she remembered seeing the younger woman in such a state was when she woke up on her lap after Weiss' birthday party. The mere memory caused her mouth to curl into a slight grin. From the still-short time that the two had known one another, Raven knew that Cinder had a strong temperament, so seeing her... unraveled was pretty amusing. A bit similar to Weiss when she broke that _punk character_.

Then Cinder cleared her throat, attempting to look at the older woman, but not exactly doing a great job at maintaining eye contact.

"Well, i-it seems that... e-everyone just wants to hug me today."

* * *

 _"Hey."_

 _"What's up?"_

 _"You uh, you don't mind if there's another friend in the house, right?"_

 _"Is it a problem friend, or..."_

 _"She uh... she's got some issues that we're helpin' her work through, so she's staying with us for a little while."_

 _"Do I know her?"_

 _"I don't think so... We met her after you moved away."_

 _"Oh."_

 _"But that's not gonna be a problem or anything! I'm sure you'll get along just fine!"_

 _"I'll try not to be a bother, I don't think I'll stay long."_

 _"Look, I know this kinda stuff isn't easy for you, but you won't be, I promise."_

 _"I... I don't think I can do this, Ruby."_

 _"Yes, you can. I know you can. You've done it tons of times in the past, this time's no different."_

 _"But never without her..."_

 _"I know... but in my opinion, the only person you need to be strong... is you. Which sounds super sappy, I know, but it's true!"_

 _"You're a dork, Ruby Rose."_

 _"And you're a strong, independent cat woman, Blake Belladonna."_

 _"I missed you."_

 _"Missed you too. Ready to go?"_

 _"As I'll ever be, I guess."_

 _"That's what I like to hear!"_


	19. Hangout

Yang could honestly not remember the last time she did not wake up to a cold bed... or _couch_ in this particular case. Which was... a bit sad now that she thought about it. But judging from the last week and a half, it seemed like that streak may finally be over.

As Yang began to come to consciousness, she slowly became aware of the warm pressure that was currently on top of her. Having a sneaking suspicion as to what exactly it was, without even opening her eyes, she smiled, as the memories from the prior night began to come back to her.

Similar to other nights of the past week - or afternoons, depending on the timing of her shift for that day - Yang had spent the evening with Coco. They hung out, watched movies, ate popcorn and a variety of other junk food, drank some of the blonde's favourite craft beer, as per her recommendation, and finally, fell asleep on the couch together, with the brunette practically on top of her. All while the TV was still playing. All in all, it was a wonderful night. Sure, it was not exactly the most _romantic_ date that they could have had - much like the other times throughout the week - but even so, she did not care, and she was fairly certain that Coco did not either. The only thing that really mattered is that they enjoyed each other's company. They had fun together. They were keeping things _light and breezy._

Finally opening her eyes, Yang's smile only grew at the sight she witnessed before her. Currently lying atop her was Coco, appearing sound asleep with her head comfortably nestled between her clothed beasts. It was adorable, and... _peaceful_ , like all the fatigue that usually plagued her features was gone. Certainly a rare sight to behold. Even when the two were laughing and joking like a couple of idiots, there was always this... _weariness_ to her, so it was nice to see her in such a... tranquil state. Plus, the way she was cuddled up to Yang, it was almost kind of romantic. Unfortunately she could not make any jokes about it, since Coco was still asleep and all. She could not even take a picture for later, as her scroll was... somewhere in the apartment. That was definitely something that needed to be remembered when she actually got up. But until then, Yang just gently wrapped her arms around the other woman, closing her eyes again to go back to sleep.

Some amount of time later, she was roused from her light slumber to the feeling of Coco raising from her position, as well as the sound of her yawning. There was part of her that wanted to get up with her... girlfriend? Wait, could the two of them be considered girlfriends yet? It was true that the two had technically been _going out_ for over a week now, but they had not exactly done anything _romantic_ , so perhaps... friends with benefits? No, that was definitely not right. Maybe-

"Ah, shit." Suddenly came Coco's tired voice from above Yang, interrupting her train of thought and prompting her to open her eyes, which revealed the brunette staring down at her tank top - More specifically where her head had previously been.

"Everything okay?" Yang wondered as the two adjusted their positions, until she was mostly sitting up, while the other woman was straddling her thighs, still staring downward.

"I kind of uh, drooled on you... a bit." Coco admitted, reaching up to scratch the back of her head with her uninjured arm in slight embarrassment.

Raising a brow, Yang looked down at her tank top to indeed find a... rather large wet spot, right on her left breast. _Wow, she was not kidding_. Due to the white tank top she was wearing, that giant drool spot would normally partially expose the skin beneath, but like an idiot, she had forgotten to take off her bra the prior night due to dozing off with Coco. So, no such skin could be seen. Just a hint of a boring white bra. Even so, Yang just looked back up at the woman currently sitting atop her thighs with a sly smirk. "You're just tryin' everything you can think of to get my top off, huh?"

Coco just chuckled a bit at the accusation, meeting the blonde's smirk with one of her own. "That depends, is it workin'?"

Yang's smirk quickly shifted into a grin upon hearing the question. _Not really, but that gives me an fun little idea_. She thought to herself, before reaching down to grip the hem of her tank top, quickly pulling the garment up far enough to briefly expose her sizable bra-covered breasts, earning a pair of raised brows from the other woman - Who merely stared down at them for several moments.

 _"Nice."_

Yang could not help but giggle at her friend's supposed amazement over seeing under her shirt. "Even with this boring ass bra? You're pretty easy to please."

Coco rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face did not falter. "Dude, I haven't seen a pair in ages."

Pulling her shirt back down, Yang faux-gasped. "My gods, you poor woman." Though before she could continue, the sound of a stomach rumbling could be heard from within Coco's midsection. It made the blonde smirk again. "Well, I could offer mine, but it sounds like you'd rather have some breakfast. You want pancakes?"

Coco immediately quirked a brow. " _Homemade_ pancakes?"

Yang just scoffed. "What do you take me for? Yeah homemade!"

"Then fuck yeah I do." Coco confirmed. "You still got that chocolate syrup and caramel? 'Cause I know we've gone through a lot in the past week."

Yang nodded, a bright smile spreading across her face. "You know it. I bought more."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Coco wondered, shifting her position to get up off of her friend. "Let's get that shit going!" She burst, hopping off the couch.

"Sounds like a plan!" Yang agreed, standing up to join the brunette. Though as she did, she was suddenly reminded of a certain discomfort that she had not realized before. One of the worst feelings on the planet was leaving a bra on for longer than needed, but leaving one on _overnight_? Now _that_ was truly awful. "Though before we do, just gimmie a sec. Gotta take care of somethin'." Yang requested, holding up a finger. As delicious as pancakes sounded, she _desperately_ wanted to rid herself of the _bra pain_ first. Gripping the neckline of her tank top, she pulled the garment up over her head, holding it aside with one hand, while the other reached up behind her back to unclip her bra. Was it a little weird to just undress right in front of her still-new girlfriend... friend... person? A little, but she did not care. They were both fairly open people, and it was likely going to happen at some point anyway. Removing the piece of underwear with a heavy sigh, fully exposing - and finally freeing - her ample bust, Yang tossed it onto the couch before re-donning her top, all while Coco merely stood a few feet away with a somewhat shocked expression on her face, staring directly at her chest until her shirt was completely back on. _Gods, that feels so fuckin' good._

"Fuckin' damn." Coco marveled, before looking over at the discarded piece of underwear. "But seriously, you need better bras, girl."

Yang just shrugged, briefly looking down her tank top to observe the red indentations upon the sensitive skin of her breasts that made up the stress marks, most stemming from many of her bras being too ill-fitting. "Yeah, but better ones are way too expensive."

Looking around to spot the antique clock that was hanging on the wall near the front door - the same one that Summer and Tai had given the blonde when she first moved into the apartment - Coco read the time before turning back to Yang. "Alright, you don't have work until later, yeah?" She inquired, to which her friend nodded. "Cool, we're goin' shopping after breakfast then. My treat."

Yang quirked a brow at the offer as the two made their way into her rather small kitchen. "You're gonna buy underwear? What's next, _sex toys?"_

Coco shrugged while the blonde began to gather cooking supplies. "If you need 'em, sure."

 _And that definitely wasn't the answer I was expecting, but_... "I like the sound of that, sugar mamma." Yang teased, taking a moment to wink at the brunette. "I've been meaning to get some more toys anyway. All I've got is a vibe that I've had for like, almost five years. Call her _Ol' Reliable_."

Coco just chuckled. "I've got way too many toys to name them." She admitted, to the slight surprise of her friend. "But that aside, this is the best week I've had all year, and I wanna pay it back a little."

Starting to prepare the pancake mix, Yang raised a brow slightly. "Really? Thanks, Coco. That's really sweet."

Coco only grinned. "Just like the chocolate syrup that's gonna be on my pancakes."

After both women shared a laugh, they returned to making breakfast. It was certainly not in silence, as the pair continued to joke around with one another, but it only lasted a short time. While Yang began cooking the first of likely many sets of pancakes, Coco raised her arms to stretch... sort of. What actually happened was that she completely rose her uninjured arm up over her head, as far as it could reach, while only lifting her cast-covered arm a bit. Though as she did, she groaned.

"Ah, fuckin' hell."

Turning to face her friend, Yang furrowed her brow. "Everything okay?"

Awkwardly squirming in place, Coco let out a sigh. "Yeah, just, forgot to take off my bra, too, and it's buggin' the hell outta me." She explained, reaching up to grip the neckline of her T-shirt, attempting to pull it up with one hand, which sadly was not going very well due to the cast that covered her other arm.

Awkwardly watching the admittedly sorry sight for a few moments, Yang put down her spatula and turned down the heat on the stove. "You... want some help with that?" She offered.

Coco just sighed again, letting her shoulders slump. "Yeah, that'd be great." She agreed, raising her arms after a moment to allow for her shirt to be removed.

Taking a step toward her friend, Yang lightly grabbed one of the sleeves of Coco's T-shirt, pulling it out slightly to allow for her to slip her uninjured arm in, before grasping the neckline of the shirt, lifting it up and over her head. After that, she carefully pulled it over the casted arm. Once the garment was off, she put it onto the counter, just before realizing what exactly the brunette was wearing beneath: A lacy red bra. _Oh man, that's uh, wow_. Then Yang smirked, taking a moment to admire the piece of underwear. _And she called mine nice_. " _Lace_ , huh? Seems like _someone_ was lookin' to get some."

Coco let out a chuckle at the... accusation? "Blame Little Red. When we picked up clothes from my place, she went for the lace drawer, so that was all Big Red had to dress me with. The comfort drawer was closer to the bed."

"Well, she's got good taste." Yang offered, leaning forward to reach around her friend's back, unclipping her bra with a single, one-handed motion. _Easy peasy, lemon squeezy._

Coco merely smirked at the motion as she used her uninjured arm to completely remove the undergarment herself, exposing her mid-sized breasts as she tossed it over the kitchen counter and half-wall partition, onto the couch. "Feels like you've done this before."

Yang met the other woman's smirk with one of her own, remaining close for a moment to look directly into her brown eyes. "Once or twice." She answered with a wink.

"I can tell." Coco grinned, picking up her shirt from atop the counter behind her.

A moment of silence passed. "So... now what?" Yang wondered, as her eyes shifted between the brunette's eyes and bare chest.

Coco rolled her eyes, a slight grin still on her face. She then leaned in close to her friend, until their lips were barely an inch away from one another, remaining there for several moments, before holding out her shirt out for the other woman. "You help me put my shirt back on, dummy."

Yang just chuckled, taking the shirt from her friend as she leaned back. Carefully helping Coco get her casted arm into the T-shirt, she assisted in getting her other arm, and finally her head into the garment, finally pulling it down to cover the rest of her torso. After taking a step back, the two woman both smiled, with Yang returning to the stove. "Now let's get back to makin' breakfast."

And so they did. Yang took the main responsibilities of the preparation, while Coco did what she could to help, which unfortunately was not _too_ much, but she did her best - and the blonde really appreciated it. It was one thing to help with preparing a meal when one was healthy, but to do it with a broken arm? Now that was a truly kind gesture.

It took a while, due to the sheer amount of pancakes that the two made, breakfast was finally ready. While Coco set the table, Yang gathered the giant mountain of pancakes and various toppings that the two enjoyed. Maple syrup, _chocolate_ syrup, caramel, and of course, icing sugar. _My gods this is a lotta sugar_. She thought to herself, picking up everything from the counter and bringing it to the kitchen table. After that, she headed back to the fridge, opening it up to get herself some orange juice. Though as she did, she turned to the brunette, who was now taking her seat at the kitchen table.

"Alrighty, what do you want to drink?" Yang wondered as she poured out the orange juice for herself. "Water? Coffee? Juice..."

From her place at the table, Coco just smirked. "Could go for some _Xiao Long milk_."

Yang just snorted, nearly spilling the juice all over the counter. Thankfully she was able to keep it together enough at that... _unexpected_ request. "Kinky." Then she met her friend's smirk with one of her own, holding out an empty cup in one hand, and nudging her breast with the other. "You want that in a glass, or straight from the source?"

"You kiddin' me? Straight from the source." Coco grinned, before shrugging. "Never as good in a glass." After a moment of silence, with the two women merely staring at one other, they burst into laughter. _Gods, we're such dorks_. "But seriously, coffee would be great. With _regular_ milk."

Letting out a chuckle, Yang moved over to the admittedly lightly-used coffee maker. "Comin' right up!" After the coffee was finished, she poured some into one of the many comedic mugs she owned - this one of _The Real Geistbusters_ \- added some milk, and brought it over to the table. "One coffee, with _regular_ milk." Yang smiled, handing her friend the mug before picking up the spatula that currently sat next to the plate full of pancakes. Quietly beginning to serve a stack of pancakes onto each of their plates, an idea suddenly popped into her head, regarding a certain aspect of Coco that she saw after removing that lacy red bra. As she piled a set of pancakes onto the brunette's plate, Yang leaned in close for a whisper. "Nice ghost nips, by the way."

Rather than blushing, like the blonde had hoped, Coco just chuckled, using her uninjured arm to pull her top's neckline out a bit, taking a brief look down at her chest. "Yeah, some people like 'em, but I dunno, I'd much rather have ones like yours. Nice and prominent and shit."

Unfortunately, Yang could not stop her cheeks from heating up slightly, much to her embarrassment. _Damnit, she's the one who's supposed to be blushing_! She had always been a bit insecure about the size of her nipples, so it was nice to hear that someone liked them. "Thanks, but they're way too big." She sighed, looking down her own top. "Sometimes I paint smaller ones on with lipstick."

Coco quirked a brow as she began pouring chocolate syrup onto her stack of pancakes. "Sounds like a lotta work. What happens when it rubs off? Or a tongue gets down there?"

Yang only grinned. "Wanna find out?" She offered, downright purring. _This time will do it._

Once again, Coco did not blush. Rather, she hummed, crooking her finger for the blonde to come closer... or something. So she did, leaning down until, for the second time this morning, their faces were mere inches apart. The two proceeded to remain there for a short time, lilac eyes staring into brown, and those brown staring right back, until their owner smirked. _What is she up to_... Yang silently wondered, as unbeknownst to her, Coco was discretely picking up a chocolate syrup-covered pancake from her plate. Another moment passed, before she brought it up to lightly smack the blonde directly in the face with it, getting chocolate syrup all over her cheek. Yang was immediately taken aback by the extremely unexpected action, blinking as she stood there, frozen, all while the brunette just continued to smirk at her.

 _"Oops."_

Slowly reaching up to touch the chocolate syrup that currently covered her right cheek, Yang could not help but laugh at herself. "You're such a bitch." To which her friend said nothing, only smirking. So she just rolled her eyes. " _Wasting_ my good chocolate syrup..."

Rather than responding, Coco remained silent, beckoning the blonde closer once more. Yang was suspicious, but it prompted her to lean in, but not as close as a minute ago. She was not about to get herself smacked in the face with another chocolate-covered pancake. Thankfully no such thing happened. Instead, Coco leaned toward her friend until they again were only a few inches away, reaching up to gently take hold of Yang's chin, drawing out a slight blush. She knew that the her friend was not about to kiss her - considering this was the third time their faces were so close - but... _What was she up to now_? After a couple moments of silence, Coco lightly turned her head, and, to her _extreme_ surprise, leaned forward a bit more to lick the chocolate syrup right off her cheek, causing Yang to actually shudder.

Sitting back in her chair, Coco grinned once more. "There we go. Problem solved."

Yang only managed to stand there for several moments as her friend began to eat her breakfast, before finally clearing her throat and going to sit back down. "Guess that works. Just warm me next time." _We stripped off our shirts in front of each other and a little lick made me shudder?! Gods this is embarrassing_. She thought to herself as she began eating as well.

Coco let out a chuckle, even though her mouth was full of pancake. _"Will boo."_

Though still embarrassed, Yang could not help but giggle at the brunette's admittedly adorable, muffled words. That cocky, flirty image was being torn down, merely by how silly she looked. It reminded her of when Weiss was drunk... Weiss was so adorable when she was drunk... _She's been doing that a lot recently..._

"You alright over there, Xiao Long?" Coco suddenly wondered, pulling the blonde from her... slightly depressing train of thought.

Swallowing a bite of icing sugar-covered pancake, Yang just shrugged. "Yeah yeah, just got Weiss on my mind again."

Coco paused for a second, likely attempting to remember who her friend was talking about. Which made sense, considering the few heart-to-hearts that they had had were when they were a _tiny_ bit drunk. "That's the uh, friend who constantly bangs her girlfriend in the bar closet, right?" To which Yang just nodded a bit. Coco was already aware of the situation regarding Weiss, so the blonde did not exactly need to say much. "Well, you could always bring me by sometime, _give 'em a taste of their own medicine_ if you catch my drift."

Yang immediately inhaled her orange juice at the offer, leaving her coughing and spluttering for several moments. "W- _What_?" _Is she offering what I think she's offering?_

Coco just smirked, taking a sip from her coffee as she winked at her friend. "You heard me."

Yang's eyes widened at the realization that her friend was serious. _Oh my gods_... Though she attempted to focus on breakfast, she was unable to stop her cheeks from heating up, with various... _inappropriate_ thoughts beginning to flood her mind. Yang imagined leading Coco by the hand into the bar's back closet, shutting the door as clothes were torn right off their bodies, ripping into each other like a couple of wild animals... Or pulling a Vernal and buying herself a nice, yellow strap-on and giving Coco the _Weiss treatment_... Or perhaps Coco would give _her_ the Weiss treatment... That all depended on which one of them was the _Weiss_ of the relationship... _Oh man, that feels really weird to think about... But fuck does it sound hot_... If Yang was being honest, she had always been a bit... _curious_ as to what exactly it felt like to have sex in that back closet... _Just shut up and eat your breakfast. You two are keepin' things light and breezy, remember?_

After shaking away those... _stimulating_ thoughts, Yang just offered a somewhat awkward smile. "Y-Yeah, I'll uh, definitely keep that in mind..." To which the brunette only kept her smirk while the two continued eating their mouth-watering pancakes. It was an old feeling, seeing someone enjoy her cooking so much again. With Ruby having been gone for almost three years now, it was only ever Yang herself in the apartment. But Coco seemed really happy... Far happier than Melanie, and without any of the coldness. Now, eating a delicious breakfast with a woman who not only appreciated it, but her company... It made her feel warm inside.

It was not exactly what Yang was after, but it filled the hole just enough.

 _That's what she said._

* * *

It was always a bad sign when not even _Yang_ could cheer Weiss up.

Of course there had been other times when the wannabe punk had come into _The Perch_ feeling rather down, but this time... this time was different. When Weiss walked through the front door - looking considerably less punk - slowly making her way to an empty booth and slumping down into a seat, not even speaking a single word, she looked... _hopeless_ , and... _defeated_. So, naturally, Yang slipped into the booth, right across from Weiss, and tried her best to improve her mood, staring with a classic _White Atlesian_ on the house.

It was still early in the afternoon, and the bar was still fairly vacant - plus Cinder was still on her break - so Yang should have plenty of time with her friend. Unfortunately, even with free drinks, it was not going well so far. Contrary to her other visits, Weiss barely said anything. No ranting, no complaining, just... quietly drinking. The only thing that Yang knew for sure was that Vernal was involved, which... she sadly expected. The blonde did her best to make a reasonable excuse for her, but she was unsure if it was enough.

"It's Vernal, and... some people aren't good with feelings, and as far as I know, she came from a bad place in life..." Yang attempted to explain, hoping it would cause _some_ positive reaction. As conflicted as she was about this whole situation, the last thing she wanted - rather, something she was afraid of - was driving a wedge between the two.

Weiss merely let out a tired sigh, taking another rather large sip from her fourth White Atlesian. "I know, I just... don't know what to do..."

 _Damnit_. "Hey, well, no matter what happens, my door's always open, alright?"

Looking up from her drink, Weiss actually managed a fairly small smile, for the first time since she came in. "Thanks, Yang."

Yang met her friend's smile with a brighter one of her own, glad to know she was at least getting _somewhere_. She then opened her mouth to continue, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the bar's front door opening, revealing a perky redhead excitedly walking inside, clad in a bright pink T-shirt and jean short shorts. So she turned back to her friend. "Alright, I'll be right back, 'nother customer just walked in." Yang informed. "I'll see what she wants, and we can..." She began to explain, not even noticing that the unknown redhead had looked directly at them, before sauntering over to them and plopping down into the booth right next to Weiss, a smile as bright as the sun adorning her face. It caused her to trail off, merely looking between her friend and this new woman before them. "Continue... this... Uh... Hello?"

The redhead across from her only grinned. "Hiya!" To which Yang and Weiss shared a somewhat awkward look, extremely confused as to who exactly this woman was, and why she was being so friendly to two people she supposedly did not even know. "You've got really pretty hair!"

Yang just blinked, not prepared for the sudden compliment. "Uh, thanks..."

Then, before the blonde could even get her composure back, the woman turned to Weiss. "And that jacket looks so good on you! Was it expensive? It looks expensive!" She burst, which was followed by a gasp. "And it goes so well with that adorable pink shirt you've got on underneath!"

 _What is going on right now?_

Finally gaining back her composure, Yang cleared her throat. "So uh, you want something to drink?"

The woman only continued to grin. "Absolutely! Gimme somethin fruity, with a kick!"

 _Fruity with a kick? I can do that._ "Comin' right up." Yang accepted, raising from her seat and making her way behind the bar to make that woman her drink. A couple minutes later, spent both mixing the drink and watching her friend and the woman interact, she returned to the booth with a Strawberry Sunrise in hand, placing it onto the table in front of the redhead. "One Strawberry Sunrise."

"Oooohh." The woman marveled, curiously eyeing the drink. "Looks good!" Then she turned to Weiss, nudging her slightly with her elbow. "But is it as sweet as this little lady?"

As odd as the current situation was, Yang could not help but chuckle a bit as she returned to her seat across from the other two. "Not likely." To which Weiss just scoffed, causing her to chuckle more. "But uh... what brings you around here?"

With a grin still on her face, the redhead shrugged. _How is she keeping that smile for so long_? "No reason, just heard this was a great place to chill."

 _Well, she's not wrong._

After taking a sip from her drink, and thoroughly enjoying it - evident by the over-dramatic hum that came after - the woman looked between the two. "So are you two like, an item or somethin'?" To which Weiss immediately almost choked on her own beverage, while Yang was left to only blush.

"Oh, no! No, I'm uh, I-I'm spoken for... I think." The blonde attempted to assure.

Weiss then furrowed her brow. "You think? I thought everything was going well with Coco?"

"Everything is alright!" Yang confirmed. "It's just uh, we're keepin' things _light and breezy_ for a while, y'know? So I dunno if we're considering us _together_ together yet. Though she did buy me a butt-load of nice underwear yesterday..." _Is that something that only couples do?_

"Ahh... got a little casual thing goin' on, huh?" The woman grinned. "I dig it." Then she leaned closer to the blonde, lowering her voice. "If you're ever lookin' for a third in the sack, I'm always available." She offered with a wink. After a moment, Yang realized what had just been said and only managed to blink at the... _unexpected_ offer, while Weiss only watched the interaction, brows raised in amusement. Unfortunately for the latter, the woman turned to her next. "How 'bout you? Got a special guy or gal in your life?"

Caught off-guard by the sudden change in focus, Weiss took a moment to realize what exactly had just been asked. "Y-Yes, a gal- I mean, a girlfriend. I have a girlfriend, Vernal. She actually works here."

"Oohh, bartender girlfriend, nice." The redhead hummed, before looking off toward the bar counter. "She workin' today?"

Weiss shook her head, taking a small sip from her drink as her expression faltered. "Not until tonight, she's probably still sleeping... but I can... show you a picture of her so you will be able to recognize her next time you come in."

The woman quickly grinned at the offer. "Okay!" She excitedly agreed, sliding closer to the wannabe punk until they were shoulder-to-shoulder.

Somewhat awkwardly pulling out her scroll, Weiss tapped a few times until turning the device toward the woman beside her, pointing to what the blonde could only assume was a picture. "That's her, between Yang and I."

Furrowing her brow at the image for a moment, the woman suddenly perked up. "Hey, I know her! She buys pot from one of my clients."

 _Her clients? What exactly does this woman do?_

Upon hearing the revelation, Weiss' expression became that of... _concern_. "Do you mean that she _used to_? She told me she doesn't do that stuff anymore..."

 _Uh oh._

The redhead merely paused for a moment, likely aware of what she might have just revealed. Thankfully she knew better than to continue, instead changing the subject. "I've never seen her smirk like that. I didn't even know she was _allowed_ to smirk." Then she chuckled a bit. "Isn't that like, _against the biker code_ or somethin'?"

"Only time she smirks is when Weissy's around." Yang informed, hoping the change in subject would stick.

The redhead smiled, rather warmly. "Aw, adorbs." She gushed, before looking over to eye the woman next to her. "Can't blame her though, you're cute as a button." She complimented, reaching up to lightly boop Weiss' nose, causing her blush slightly, even though she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hush."

 _Man, this girl is weird._

Before the three woman could continue their conversation any further, the door to the back room opened, revealing Cinder, who, upon seeing the woman that currently sat in the booth with Yang and Weiss, stared directly at her with a widened eye.

 _"Nora?"_

The woman in question only grinned. "Hi Cindy! Come sit with us!"

 _Cindy_? Looking between her coworker and the redhead, Yang made a realization. "Wait, _this_ is Nora?"

"The one and only!" _Nora_ confirmed.

 _So this is the escort friend Cinder was talkin' about... Well, she's certainly... bubbly._

Making her way out from behind the counter and approaching the booth, Cinder stopped in front of the table, almost appearing to glare at her escort friend. _Man, I should not be calling her that_. "What are you even doing here?"

Nora just shrugged. "I had nothin' to do until later, and felt like visiting my friend." She smiled. "Now come on and join us, Cindy!"

 _Aw, that's cute_. Yang thought to herself as Cinder finally gave in, sliding into the booth next to the blonde. Then a thought occurred. _I wonder if Coco will ever randomly visit me... Or maybe I could go visit her... No wait, she doesn't have a job. But... Weiss does..._

"Now, have you behaved since you arrived here?" Cinder questioned.

"Of course!" Nora defended. "Just 'cause I don't wear pants around your place doesn't mean I _never_ wear 'em."

 _Hold up, what was that?_

"And you didn't try to pick either of them up?" Cinder continued.

"Nope!" Nora grinned, clearly proud that she did not attempt to do to them what she did to her friend, back when they had first met. "We've just been chattin', y'know, havin' a nice time while I was waitin' for you." To which her friend only raised her brow in suspicion.

"Well, she did kinda offer to be a third for Coco and I in the bedroom..." Yang almost hesitantly informed, which only caused Cinder to roll her eye.

"Of course she did."

After a moment, Weiss raised her hand a bit. "Excuse me, could one of you please explain to me exactly what's going on?"

"Oh yeah. Weiss, Nora. Nora, Weiss." Yang clarified, gesturing between the two women as she spoke. "Nora lives in Cinder's building."

"Oh, well, a pleasure then." Weiss smiled, holding out a hand to the redhead to shake. Though unfortunately for her, Nora did not seem to be interested in a handshake. Instead, she pushed her hand aside and leaned forward, wrapping the younger woman in a bear-hug, eliciting a cute little yelp.

"Nice to meet ya!"

Clearly aware of Weiss' shock, Cinder let out a sigh. "Nora, release her."

Releasing the woman in question after a couple seconds, Nora giggles a bit. "Hehe, sorry. I'm a hugger."

"You'll fit in fine then." Yang commented as her friend composed herself.

Nora then grinned at the older woman. "See, told ya they'd like me, Cindy."

Cinder just rolled her eye. "Of course they like you, you're a basket case."

Watching those two interact, Yang could not help but wonder something. "Though that does beg the question, how are _you two_ friends?" She asked, looking between the two women. "You're so... _different!"_

"She's a _lot_ cuddlier than she acts." Nora answered, flashing a grin over at Cinder.

Upon hearing that answer, Yang's brow immediately raised. _Okay, that sounds like a story_. "Oh _is_ she now? _Please_ go on."

"I am also curious about elaboration." Weiss added, taking a sip from her drink.

"Glomping is hardly cuddling, Nora." Cinder mentioned, rolling her eye once again, causing Yang and Weiss to raise their brows, both eager to know more.

"Still counts, Cindy!" Nora insisted.

"So you say."

Yang furrowed her brow at the interaction. "So you two are cuddling..." Then she turned to the redhead. "Hey Nora, what's _Cindy_ like outside of work?

"Don't call me that." Cinder sternly requested.

"But Nora does!" Yang attempted to defend.

"And that is because she's Nora." Cinder clarified, much to the unsatisfaction of the blonde.

"Yeah! I'm special!" Nora immediately burst after a sip of her drink.

Cinder seemingly could not help but smile, rather warmly at her friend. "You certainly are."

"Alright then, what's _Cinder_ like outside of work?" Yang wondered, using her full name for emphasis, hoping that would get her an answer.

"That is none of your concern." Cinder responded, flashing the slightest little smirk at the blonde.

"Oh come on!"

Weiss let out a chuckle, likely at her friend's failure to get any answers out of the older woman. "How did you two meet?"

"Oh, we just ran into each other one day." Nora explained, before giggling. "Literally like, sent her flying!"

While Yang was already somewhat aware of how those two met - with the redhead attempting to _pick up_ the older woman - but now it seemed there was much more to it... At least that was how it sounded. "Okay, I'm gonna need more detail."

"Seconded." Weiss quickly added.

"I wasn't watching where I was going." Cinder simply answered, much to the disappointment of the other two.

 _Man, I thought it was gonna be more interesting_. "So uh, Nora, how long have you been in Vale?"

Bringing a hand up to her chin, Nora took a moment to seemingly think. "Hmm, around five years, give or take. I'm bad with numbers."

"Where did you live before then?" Weiss inquired.

"East Mistral, but there wasn't much goin' on there, so I left." Nora explained with a shrug.

"And judging from your blatant offer to join Yang and her girlfriend in the bedroom, you don't have a partner of any kind?" Weiss continued, flashing a slight smirk over at the blonde. _Aanndd she's not gonna let me forget that._

"I'm ridin' free." Nora added, before snorting. "Well, kinda. Besides, Cindy's wife enough for me."

 _Guess having a partner would be a bit difficult when she's bangin' guys and gals all the time._

Upon hearing the other woman's answer, Weiss raised a brow. "She's _wife enough_ for you?"

"She won't sign the divorce papers." Cinder commented.

Understanding the joke, Yang smirked a bit before faux-gasping and turning to Cinder. "So does that mean we _can't_ get married?"

Weiss just blinked at her friend. "Wait, what?"

Cinder shook her head, faux-frowning. "I'm afraid not, Yang."

"You'll never take her from me!" Nora excitedly declared, lightly hitting her fist against the table for emphasis.

Over next to the redhead, Weiss was clearly not understanding the joke. "But I thought-"

"How dare you keep her from her true love!" Yang objected. _Man this is fun._

Then Cinder just smirked, clearly amused at the fake argument. "Fight for my heart, my dear friends."

Upon hearing the request, Nora immediately leaned forward, almost slamming her elbow onto the table as she held out her hand, appearing to be ready for an arm-wrestling competition. "Let's go, little girl!"

Seeing the challenge, Yang did the same, placing her elbow onto the table locking hands with the redhead. "Bring it on!" She agreed, thus beginning the competition. As the two pushed back against each other, Yang could not help but be a bit impressed. _Wow this girl is strong_. Almost as strong as the blonde herself in fact. They both pushed and pushed, but after almost a full minute of arm wrestling, Yang finally began to gain the upper hand, slowly pressing the other woman's arm toward the table, until she finally won. All while Weiss was still sitting there watching, noticeably confused as to what was going on.

"Boom!" Yang burst, raising her arms in victory. "Looks like your mine now, _Cindy_."

Cinder brought a hand up to her chin. "Hmm, Nora, you disappoint me."

Appearing dejected for a moment, Nora seemingly realized something, and smirked, rather slyly. "Does that mean I can have _you know who?"_

"You can have your Sunrise on the house, as consolation." Cinder answered, clearly dodging the subject. _Not on my watch, Cindy._

" _You know who_?" Yang wondered, quirking a brow. "Does someone have a _crush_ we don't know about?"

Rather than blushing, which was what the blonde was kind of hoping for, Cinder remained stoic, merely glaring at her friend. "Someone has a big mouth."

 _Oh my gods_. "So it's true!" Yang burst, somewhat unintentionally. "Who is it? Anyone we know?"

"Someone who values their privacy." Cinder simply answered.

" _Someone who values their privacy_..." Yang echoed, attempting to figure out who it could possibly be. _Could always just start guessin'. Let's see_... "Is it Pyr? No no, _Qrow_? No that's worse. Uh... Ah, damn, who is it, Cinder?"

Cinder remained quiet for a moment, causing Yang to wonder if she was going to avoid answering her question. "Lisa Lavender." _Or not._

Weiss raised a brow in response. "The newscaster on channel nine?"

Cinder just nodded a bit, a slight smirk spreading across her face. "I never miss it."

Yang could not help but smile at the realization. "Aw, you've got a celebrity crush, that's adorable!"

Surprisingly, quietly watching the interaction, Nora furrowed her brow, seemingly in confusion. "Wait, what?"

Noticing her friend's expression, Cinder cleared her throat. "Nora, do tell them about Ren, you are rather fond of him." She requested, clearly attempting to change the subject. _Oh don't think you've escaped that topic, Cindy._

Weiss again raised a brow. "Ren?"

Finishing another sip from her drink, Nora nodded. "He was my boyfriend back when I was in Mistral. We uh, we broke up just over a year ago."

"That's sad to hear, I'm sorry, Nora." Weiss acknowledged, placing a hand onto the redhead's shoulder and offering a small smile. Even when somewhat intoxicated, she was still able to be the caring person that she was.

Nora just shrugged. "It wasn't for bad reasons, life took us different places We still keep up sometimes."

"What happened?" Yang inquired, before catching herself. "I-If you don't mind my asking of course. I just... know what that sort of things feels like."

"He got a job opportunity in Atlas, and I couldn't follow where he needed to go." Nora explained, her gaze falling, just a bit. Though her smile remained bright. It was clear that the memory was painful, but even after only an hour, Yang could tell that she was the type of person to always put on a happy face for her friends. "I didn't wanna leech off of him, so I stayed behind."

"That's... that really sucks..." Yang sighed. "I uh, I once got left behind too, but it was my fault..." She continued, before realizing that everyone was looking at her with concerned looks on their faces. "Uh, sorry, that's depressing." Reaching to rub the back of her head, Yang attempted to think of something else to talk about. Then she looked between Cinder and Nora, and an idea popped into her head. "So... I'm just curious... has anything ever actually happened between you two? 'Cause you seem pretty comfortable around each other."

Rather than dodging the subject, as both Yang and Weiss expected, Cinder merely smiled at her friend. "She keeps my spirits high on rainy days."

Nora let out a small giggle. "Yeah, 'cause Cindy wouldn't be able to handle _all this_." She added, gesturing to her admittedly curvy figure, at least from what the blonde could see in their current position.

Cinder just rolled her eye. "Nora, _you_ can hardly handle, _all that."_

Nora giggled again, harder this time. "Guess I'm just too powerful for my own good."

"Certainly a word for it." Cinder commented.

After they all shared a laugh, and returned to normal conversation - well, _normal_ was probably debatable for most people if they were to listen in - Yang realized something _rather_ important about their current situation. She and Cinder had been sitting with Weiss and Nora for a little while now, completely forgetting that both of them were still on their shifts for the next few hours, and should probably not be just _hanging out_ with a couple of customers. _The Perch_ would very likely be getting busier soon, so it would be a smart idea to find another time to talk like this.

"Hey, girls?" Yang began, thankfully getting the attention of the other three. "So uh, Cinder and I are kinda still on the clock for the next little while, so maybe we should continue after we're done? Anyone wanna go out for pizza later? My treat." She offered, hoping for at least one of them to say yes.

Unfortunately, Weiss was the first to say the opposite, shaking her head. "I would, but I have shopping to do after this visit. Plus, I believe my favourite coffee shop closes soon, and I'm out of my favourite kind, so I think I will be taking my leave now."

As she watched Nora and Weiss raise from their sets - the former so the latter could get out - Yang raised a brow. "You mean that hole in the wall, hipster place?"

Weiss only pouted at the description. "As I have told you before, it is a _quaint little café_ , thank you very much." She reminded, which was technically the more accurate description, but the blonde enjoyed teasing her. "But either way, it was good talking to you all, and it was nice to meet you, Nora." Weiss added, holding out her arms, since she knew full well that the redhead was not going to shake her hand. As expected, Nora wrapped her in a tight, but brief hug before releasing her and sitting back down.

"Nice to meet you too!" Nora beamed as the other two bid her farewell, and she took her leave.

"How 'bout you, Nora?" Yang continued, interested to talk more with her. _I would love to hear more about Cinder outside of work._

"Sorry, I've got clients to meet later." Nora answered, taking a sip from her almost-finished Strawberry Sunrise. "Next time!"

Yang just nodded, understanding that work was more important. _Heh, clients. Bow chicka bow wow... Gods that's a weird thought_. Then she turned to her coworker, who was getting up from her seat. "Cinder?"

The woman in question merely shrugged as she turned back to look at the blonde. "I don't have anything planned for after work."

Yang quickly grinned, practically hopping out of the booth. "Looks like you're stuck with me then!"

As the pair bid partial farewell to Nora, and headed behind the bar, Cinder raised her brow. "Is this to be my dowry?" She wondered, to which Yang let out a chuckle.

"Yeah- wait, your what now?"

* * *

As Pyrrha sat back on the living area couch, quietly attempting to get lost in the world of one of her favourite books: _The Gladiatrix_ , she could not help but... find herself losing her place every so often, due to what would... _unfortunately_ soon be arriving. Yes, today was the day that Blake Belladonna had scheduled to fly from Menagerie to Vale, and Ruby was currently on her way to pick that woman up from the airport. It was certainly not something Pyrrha was excited for, but at the same time, she and her wife had made a deal, so when Blake _did_ arrive, she would _finally_ be given the chance to give the Faunus a piece of her mind, after _years_ of... _contempt_ , slowly building within her.

Sadly, there was only one issue. Since it was not a workday, neither Pyrrha nor Ruby had anywhere to be, so when the latter got back to the apartment with Blake, there would be a total of four people in their home. Which was not exactly ideal for what the redhead wanted to achieve. Of course there was always the guest bedroom - also known as _Coco's room_ for the foreseeable future - but unlike their _worship room_ , it was not sound-dampened, so there was a chance that their conversation would be able to be heard from elsewhere in the apartment. And that was something that Pyrrha did not _at all_ want. Though it seemed that it would be the only good option, unless she could somehow get Ruby and Coco out of the apartment for a while, or she went out with Blake for a while, which was... Well, she just would rather not do that, as she wanted to spend as little time with that woman as possible.

Then Pyrrha heard it. Murmurings coming from the hallway outside of their apartment, slowly growing louder. Two voices. One chirpy and excited, and the other... low and monotone. That could only mean one thing: Ruby and Blake were back from the airport, and it seemed that her peaceful time alone was about to be ruined. Hearing the front door's lock turn, she let out a quiet sigh, silently preparing herself as she attempted to continue reading, just before the door swung open.

"And this is our apartment!" Ruby beamed as she led her impressed-looking friend into the living area, with a travel bag hung over her shoulder. Upon noticing her wife, her smile faltered a bit as she and Blake set the latter's suitcase and bag aside. "Oh, and shoes off at the door! This isn't Vacuo y'know?"

Even with the redhead eyeing her from behind her book, Blake let out a slight chuckle as she untied and removed her... _hipster_ sneakers, putting them beside those of Ruby. "You sound like my mother."

"Good! Now let's start the tour!" Ruby burst, leading the Faunus into the living area. "Now this is our living room! It's where we relax, watch TV, and sometimes eat, depending on the night. And over there is our kitchen! It's where we make food." She explained, before grinning. "But I guess you wouldn't know that since Sun cooks everything for ya."

"Oh _ha ha_." Blake deadpanned. "He doesn't make _everything_ for me. I've been learning."

Ruby just giggled. "Well it's about time." Then she turned to the redhead. "And that's my wife! Though you already knew that..."

Pyrrha just continued to eye the other woman. "Blake."

Blake attempted to offer a small smile, clearly nervous. After all, Ruby did tell her what was coming. "H-Hi, Pyrrha. It's um, nice to see you again. Thank you... for letting me stay." To which Pyrrha merely hummed as she returned to her book. While she did feel the desire to make a comment, she instead decided to hold it down. She had to hold everything down, to avoid making the situation awkward for her wife. So, she would wait until the _tour_ was over, then she get her chance to speak with that woman. Though before Ruby could even lead Blake into the hallway that contained the bedrooms and bathrooms, the guest bedroom door opened, revealing Coco, clad in a pair of black skinny jeans, but... completely shirtless. Well, aside from a chocolate-brown bra - not a sports bra, but a _lacey_ one - and a pale yellow singlet top and grey cardigan hung over her shoulder, so that was at least a good sign. It meant that she was likely going over to Yang's sometime soon, since that was pretty much the only reason she had left the apartment in the last week and a half. Upon seeing the other two women walking kind of walking toward her, Coco let out a tired sigh.

"You're not gonna try to set me up again are ya, Big Red?" The brunette wondered. "'Cause I thought I told you the last one is going fine."

While Ruby appeared to be taken aback buy the question, her wife was unable to stop a small grin from spreading across her face. Thankfully no one else witnessed it. "Oh, no no! I promise that was the only time!"

Coco did not seem to believe it. "Uhuh." Then she eyed the unknown woman with a skeptical gaze. "And this isn't some high class stripper or somethin'?"

Blake just blinked at the... _unusual_ guess as to who she was. "High class?"

"Of course not!" Ruby assured. "This is our friend, she's visiting from Menagerie!"

At that moment, Coco understood her mistake. "Ah. My bad."

Stepping forward, Blake held out her left hand, aware of the cast that covered the other woman's right arm. "I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna. I went to high school with Ruby and her sister."

Coco accepted the Faunus' hand with her own uninjured one. "Coco Adel. My uh, my girlfriend used to work with Ruby."

After a few moments of somewhat awkward silence, with the three woman merely standing there, one of them still shirtless, Ruby seemed to realize something. "Oh shoot."

Blake turned to her friend. "What?"

"I forgot about the spare room." Ruby admitted. "And there are two of you, and I doubt you wanna sleep in the same bed..."

Coco just shrugged. "I mean I don't really mind, but I could probably just crash at Yang's." The name caused feline ears to perk up, the Faunus' skin paling a bit. _Good_. "It would get me outta your hair for a while, plus I'd get me my new favourite pillows back."

"The futon is perfectly functional." Pyrrha informed from the couch.

"I'm fine with the futon." Blake agreed.

"It's not a problem, really." Coco attempted to argue.

" _Coco_." Pyrrha firmly interrupted. "You have a date to prepare for."

"I mean, it's not really a _date_ , just goin' out for pizza with Yang and her friend." Coco explained.

Hearing that information actually gave Pyrrha an idea. She wanted a chance to get both Ruby and Coco out of the apartment so that she could speak with Blake, and the brunette's plans may have just given her the opportunity. "Well if that is the case, Ruby, why don't you give Coco a ride? I will help Blake get settled." She suggested in a warmer tone than before, lest she worry her wife or friend.

While she knew what that really meant, Ruby smiled, thankfully. "Okay!"

"Oh, well, I was just gonna walk, but if you're okay with drivin' me, that'd be great." Coco accepted after a moment. "Just give me a sec to finish gettin' changed." She added, heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Ruby then turned to the Faunus. "You mind if we put the tour on hold until I get back?"

Blake just smiled. "Of course."

A couple minutes later, Coco emerged from the bathroom, not wearing much in terms of makeup, but still looking beautiful nonetheless. And of course Pyrrha was sure to tell her friend that upon seeing her. Then, once Ruby was finished gushing about how pretty she looked, the two bid their farewell, and headed out, finally leaving Pyrrha and Blake alone. After a few moments, ensuring that her wife and friend were completely gone, the redhead swiftly closed her book and placed it onto the coffee table in front of her. _Thank you Spring, for this opportunity. Winter, grant me strength_. She silently prayed, raising from the couch and turning toward the other woman with a stern gaze.

"So... R-Ruby said you wanted to... t-talk to me?" Blake nervously wondered, unable to maintain complete eye contact.

"That's correct, now _sit_." Pyrrha commanded, pointing to the couch in front of her, and causing the woman in question to flinch at the harsh tone.

" _O-Okay_..." Blake mumbled, timidly making her way around the living area furniture and slowly taking a seat onto the couch. A few seconds passed by, with Pyrrha merely standing there, staring down at the nervous Faunus before her. There was so much that she wanted to say, but it seemed that the other woman had a different idea in her mind. "A-Are... Yang and Coco... _dating?"_

"That, is none of your concern." Pyrrha coldly informed. While one part of her wanted to tell this woman how happy her two friends had appeared to be recently due to their newly-formed relationship, the other felt that she did not deserve to know. "The only concern you should have in regards to my sister is what _I_ have to say. Do you understand?" To which Blake just nodded a bit. "Good. I want you to know that it was Ruby's idea to allow you to stay here, not mine, because as far as I see it, you are _not_ part of my family. You separated yourself from your best friend, causing more pain than you will ever know, and even after all this time, made _no_ effort to repair any of the damage. Now, you're barely anything more than an intruder in my home." Pyrrha near-spat, before briefly leaning down, closer to the other woman. "And the only thing that is stopping me from throwing you out is the love I hold for my wife."

Rather than responding, Blake merely sat there, almost perfectly still, nodding ever so slightly as she just stared at the floor, appearing crestfallen. It was a bit of a sad sight, but the redhead did not care. She was not through with her yet.

"You brought needless harm to my family, and refused to take responsibility. Instead you ran away to Menagerie and let it fester for _years_." Pyrrha continued, anger simmering beneath the surface of her cold expression. "I did not and _do_ not want you in my home, _but_ , I respect Ruby's wishes, and I will tolerate your presence here so long as you do not inflict further harm upon those I love. I also respect what my wife hopes to achieve, but make no mistake, I _do not_ respect you."

Once again, the Faunus remained silent, just... _enduring_ it. She could not even bare to look up at the other woman, because in truth... she did not have anything to say in her own defense. The only response she had was her eyes beginning to water. It caused the redhead to feel a slight pang of remorse, but taking a deep breath, she pushed it down.

"You should consider yourself fortunate that you have received this chance, and lucky that Ruby still considers you so dear to her." Pyrrha resumed once more, trying her absolute hardest to keep herself composed. "You divorced yourself from the family, and have now _far_ outlived the right to mend bridges, because while you were hiding over a continent away, the duty of taking care of Yang fell to Ruby and myself. Ever since you _abandoned_ her, she has been depressed, and near-alcoholic. Every time she fell down, _we_ had to pick her back up, since you used to be the only person she ever willingly trusted herself to, and _every time_ she attempted to reach out to you, you merely avoided the responsibility, and left her to us." She almost hissed, taking a deep breath again to calm herself down. "Now, there's a chance for happiness in her life, _separated_ from you, and if you disrupt it, causing _more_ harm to my sister, or you cannot reconcile with her as Ruby desires, I will _personally_ ensure that you are _never_ granted any further opportunities." Then she briefly leaned closer once more. "This is your _only_ chance. Do not treat it lightly."

By the time Pyrrha was finished, tears had begun streaming down Blake's face as she continued to stare at the floor in front of her. It was not full sobbing or anything like that, rather the appearance of guilt and anxiety at the fact that someone was finally, openly judgmental and angry over the things she had done. In all honesty, she looked... _scared_ , likely because she had never seen this side of the redhead. After several moments of silence, she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

 _"I'm sorry..."_

Pyrrha just let out a frustrated sigh, ready to be finished with this conversation, if one could even call it that. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, Blake." She reminded, taking a second before walking into the kitchen and grabbing a wine glass from one of the top cupboards. Pyrrha was going to head into the worship room, where she would retrieve a bottle from a secret fridge that she and Ruby used to keep their best wines, and pouring herself a large class.

Maidens knew she needed it.

* * *

Out of her entire thirty four years of living, Cinder had never once _gone out for pizza_ with anyone before. It was a strange feeling, but not unpleasant.

Of course she had eaten pizza before, many times. She recalled how she and Emerald used to order in almost every Friday night, cuddle up on the living room couch, and watch movies until they fell asleep in each other's arms. Emerald loved pizza - most junk food, really - and Cinder loved what it did to her figure, as it all went to _just_ the right places. She may have been a fairly thin woman, but with all of the junk food that she ate, she could not avoid growing... _thicc_ , as the kids said, in certain areas of her body. Which translated to her thighs, breasts, and rear. Plus, just a bit in her tummy.

In that aspect, Emerald was a tad similar to Yang, the woman who was currently collecting their pizzas from the front counter. Unfortunately, due to the slightly inappropriate nature of her thoughts, it was causing Cinder to idly stare at the blonde's admittedly large, skinny-jean-clad backside. Even worse, she did not even realize that Yang noticed her staring when she turned around to return to the table with the now-ready pizzas. A Spicy BBQ Chicken with a pop of some sort for herself, and one with hot sauce and peppers with a bottle of water for the older woman.

Upon sitting down and passing the designated pizza to her friend, Yang quirked a brow. "Were you... staring at my ass?"

Cinder remained silent for a moment, slightly embarrassed that her idle gaze had been noticed as she removed the first piece from her pizza. _Damn, this is delicious_. "No."

Yang just shrugged, picking up a piece of her own and taking a bite. "Hey, it's yours now, I don't mind."

Cinder furrowed her brow. _Wait, what is she... Oh, right. The marriage joke. Didn't realize we were continuing that_. "Oh yes, well, be quiet now so I can stare at your chest while we eat." She requested, looking down to begin leering at her sizable, dress shirt-covered breasts.

"Yes _ma'am_!" Yang accepted, straightening her back so that she could better show off her bust.

Cinder brought a finger up to her mouth. "Shhh, breasts don't speak." She reminded, to which the blonde proceeded to puff out her cheeks, cross her eyes and push her breasts together with her arms. _Good gods those things are big_. Observing the amusing sight, Cinder was unable to hold back a chuckle. "And, you've ruined it. I am no longer aroused."

"But I'm so _adawkable_!" Yang attempted to defend.

Cinder immediately raised her brow. _Adawkable_? "Oh dear, it seems we need a divorce now."

Yang faux-gasped. " _But honey_ , I love you..."

"I apologize, but _adawkable_ was too much for me." Cinder informed with a slight smirk, continuing to eat her pizza.

"Coco likes my adawkableness." Yang pouted.

Cinder raised her brow again, confused for a moment as she had almost forgotten who that was. _Oh right, Yang's new girlfriend_. Though that gave her an idea. "Now you have a _mistress?"_

Swallowing the last bite of her first piece, Yang paused for a moment. "Is it still a mistress if we've only cuddled?"

Cinder then faux-gasped a bit. Not quite as dramatically as the blonde, but hey, she was no actress. " _We_ have not even cuddled."

"You never ask!" Yang countered through a mouthful of pizza.

"I shouldn't have to, Yang." Cinder kind of fake-reminded, since they were not actually married. "And now my heart is broken. I have never felt such betrayal."

"I was merely attempting to respect your personal space." Yang argued.

Cinder rolled her eye as she ate another bite. "And I have been waiting for you to make a move, and instead you take a mistress."

Yang just fake-pouted. "I thought I wasn't good enough."

"Says the woman who has another lover, rather than tending to her _extremely_ needy wife." Cinder commented.

Putting her piece of pizza back onto her plate, Yang reached up to clasp her hands together. " _Please_ let me make it up to you, I value your love."

Cinder opened her mouth to provide a snarky response, but before she could, a better idea popped into her head. A more... _imaginative_ idea, considering even if it was not a joke, it would not be possible, for obvious reasons. "Hm, I suppose I could break out the old paddle once more."

Yang faux-gasped, quite dramatically, at the suggestion, reaching down to seemingly grasp her rear. "Aw, _my poor tushie."_

Cinder just shrugged, flashing a smirk at the blonde as she began eating the last bite of her first piece of pizza. "It's big, so I'm sure that it can handle it."

To the older woman's surprise, Yang actually flushed in response, biting her lip. "I don't doubt it."

Cinder immediately raised her brow at the reaction. "Did that just turn you on?"

Yang merely cleared her throat, continuing to eat her pizza as her blush remained strong. "Shush."

Seeing the clear embarrassment on the blonde's face, Cinder smirked, as another idea graced her mind. So she leaned forward, lowering her voice as she spoke, lest anyone hear her. "I'll be sure to go extra hard then, until both of your cheeks are _bright red_." To which Yang's eyes widened, though refusing to meet her friend's gaze as she swallowed visibly, her blush deepening. _Didn't realize she was that much into spanking, damn_. Although, that did not mean she was about to let up. "Perhaps then I'll be satisfied. Or maybe I'll keep going. You know, until you've _learned your lesson."_

After a moment of silence, with Yang in complete shock, with eyes wide, and blush deep, she let out a choked giggle before returning to her pizza. "Have you ever thought about doing a scroll sex service?"

Cinder could not help but chuckle at the question. "No, but I'm sure if I did, I would find a certain blonde on the other end every night."

Yang just shrugged. "Even I get lonely sometimes."

Cinder rolled her eye once again. "And who better to satisfy you than your new wife."

Yang finally buried her face in her hands, letting out a deep breath. "Gods, you're gonna be the death of me."

Cinder only proceeded to smirk. "Through pleasure, I'm sure." She added, which caused Yang to over-dramatically collapse onto the table. She could not help but chuckle at bit, reaching over and lightly patting the blonde on the head. Wow, her hair was so soft. "Love you too, honey." Yang just mumbled, incoherently into the table beneath her face and arms. Cinder was unable to understand her friend, but it gave her an idea. "Oh yes, I would love a massage after this."

After the two shared a laugh, Yang eventually sat back up. Though before they could return to _normal_ conversation - or at least something more normal than hypothetical spanking - the blonde's attention was drawn somewhere behind the older woman, as her face lit up with a smile. _Well, that's either her girlfriend or Weiss, and since the latter wasn't able to join us, it must be the former_. "Glad you could make it, Adel." Yang smiled.

"You kiddin'? Wouldn't miss it, Xiao Long." Coco answered, approaching the table and noticing the two partially-eaten pizzas on the table. "I see you started without me, bitch."

 _Adel? Xiao Long? I thought these two were girlfriends, not roommates_. Cinder thought to herself as she watched the pair interact.

Yang merely grinned. "Not my fault you got here late." She teased with a wink. "Your pizza's waitin' for you in the oven, already paid for, and pepperoni, just how you like it."

"That's what I'm talkin' about, 'cause I'm starvin'." Coco acknowledged, turning to approach the front counter so that she could collect her pizza.

 _No peck, not even a hug... Very contrary to how Weiss and Vernal act around the bar, with their constant PDA_. Cinder continued thinking to herself. _Though Yang did say how they only got together a week ago, and were keeping things 'light and breezy', or whatever she called it, so perhaps that's why they're not acting very... 'lovey dovey'_. After a minute, Coco returned with what appeared to be a large, pepperoni pizza and a pop - having a bit of difficulty carrying them due to the cast on her right arm - as she crossed the table-filled area and sat down next to her girlfriend. Though as she took her seat and began talking to Yang, Cinder could not help but stare, feeling as if there was something... _familiar_ about the brunette in front of her. Like... they had met once before... But where...?

Removing her first piece from the pizza, Coco brought it to her mouth to take a fairly large bite, clearly _quite_ enjoying it. "Mmmm, _fuck_ that's good." She gushed, with her mouth still full. Finally she swallowed. "Took a nap earlier and slept through lunch."

Yang then raised a brow... for some reason. "Oh yeah? You miss your two new favourite pillows too?" She wondered with a smirk, pushing her breasts together slightly with her upper arms.

 _Ah. There it is._

"You know I did, Xiao Long." Coco smirked right back. "Which reminds me, I might need them later. Along with some movies, popcorn, and maybe some candy. Actually, no, definitely some candy. You've gotten me addicted to those _Dust Crystals."_

"Only if you buy me some more craft beer." Yang proposed. "'Cause you've been clearin' me out."

"Hey, at least half of those empty cans are from you." Coco accused before taking another large bite of her pizza, all while she and the blonde continued to smirk at one another. Then she turned to the woman across the table, seemingly just remembering that she was not in fact alone with her girlfriend. "Oh, sorry 'bout that." Putting down her slice, she offered her uninjured hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm..." She trailed off, furrowing her brow at the older woman. "Um... Coco..."

 _Wait a minute... Coco Adel... I know that name..._

Looking over at the brunette, Yang furrowed her own brow. "Everything okay?"

Coco merely kept staring at the woman in front of her. "Yeah, yeah, I just... Have we met before? You look... familiar..."

Cinder remained quiet for a moment, attempting to figure out who this woman was. The name... The face... Hell, even her voice... She was sure that she had at least _seen_ her before... The memory was on the _tip of her mind_ , so to speak. "I'm... unsure... Did you know someone that used to work at _Salcorp_?" Or _Salem Corporation_ , the company that she was accused of burning to the ground.

Suddenly, Coco's eyes widened, seemingly from a revelation. She then blanched, her lips drawing tight. "I did... My... last partner, Velvet..."

 _Velvet... Scarlatina_? Then Cinder's own eye widened. _Oh no. Not again_... Though certainly lacking the _flair_ that she once did, she knew who this woman was now. Of course they did not exactly know one another that well, as they had only met once at a company Solstice party, but the time they did spend together was... pleasant. A little while into the party, they both had separated from the larger crowd at their own times to have a quiet drink in peace, but they ended up stumbling upon each other in one of the open conference rooms. So they just... talked for a while. Overall, it was a nice conversation, at least until their partners dragged them _back to the fun_. Their partners... who were now both gone...

"And that means... you're Cinder Fall, right?" Coco wondered, expression now completely devoid of the slyness that was present a minute ago. "Almost didn't recognize you 'cause of the mask and that new haircut."

"Funny... Normally it's the opposite." Cinder mumbled, avoiding eye contact. _It's what happens when a trial is publicized like that_. Instead she just focused on her pizza. This felt similar to when she spoke to Ruby and Pyrrha, so she was expecting _something_ to go wrong. It was all a matter of time.

"You... How have you been handling it?" Coco wondered after a moment of hesitation.

 _Wondering how I'm doing? Check_. "About as well as you'd imagine for a woman in my position."

"Yeah... gettin' blamed for an accident must be a real shitty situation."

Then Cinder blinked, not expecting that response. "You... don't think I did it?" _Just like Raven and Yang..._

Coco just shrugged, picking back up her half-eaten piece of pizza. "You wouldn't be here if you did."

That was... true, but Cinder certainly did not expect the brunette to say that so soon after meeting her. After all, she lost a _partner_ in that fire. Though, if she was being so accepting of it... there was no sense questioning her. So Cinder turned to Yang. "I like her." She smiled, motioning to woman in question with her head.

Yang looked at her girlfriend, then she smirked. "Eh, she's alright I guess."

Coco immediately quirked a brow upon hearing that. "Oh, _alright_ am I?"

Yang only kept smirking. "You heard me, Adel."

Bringing her uninjured arm up to her chest, Coco faux-scoffed. "What a cruel, cruel woman you are."

Cinder merely kept eating her pizza. "Ouch."

"Not everyone can be Nora." Yang commented. "Speaking of which, _hello ball of energy!"_

Cinder just rolled her eye at the topic change. "Quite a unique girl, that one."

Looking between the other two women, Coco furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. "Nora?"

"Friend of Cinder's." Yang informed through a mouth full of pizza. "Set the bar on fire earlier."

Coco only furrowed her brow further at the answer. "You talkin' figuratively or literally?"

 _Thankfully the former_. "I wouldn't put it past her."

After a moment, Coco nodded. "I'll take that as a _bit of both."_

A few seconds after that, Yang grinned, which given her nature, definitely worried the older woman. It meant that she was up to something, and when the blonde was up to something, that was never good. "She and _Cindy_ are real friendly with each other."

Cinder just sighed. _Well, not the worst thing she could have brought up_. "Here we go..."

Coco raised a brow at the new information. _Oh joy, she's interested_. "Oh yeah? What kinda _friendly_? The best friends kind or the friends with benefits kind?"

Yang shrugged, smirking slightly at the woman in question. "Dunno, she won't admit anything."

"And I never will." Cinder confirmed, taking a sip from her water.

"See! She's no fun." Yang accused, attempting to pout like her sister.

 _Nice try, Xiao Long. Only person who could ever use their adorable pout to get what they wanted was Emmy, and you're too hot to be considered cute_. "I'm not _built_ for fun." Cinder deadpanned.

Forgoing the failing pout, Yang chose to instead continue with her own pizza. "Well, speakin' of fun, when Nora accidentally called me last week, who did she _actually_ mean to call?"

 _Oh gods, why did she have to remember that_? "Mind your own business." Cinder warned, shooting a slight glare at the blonde. "You think your little crush on Weiss was subtle?"

Upon hearing that, Yang proceeded to actually gag on the drink that she had just brought to her lips, while her girlfriend just laughed. Not exactly the reaction she would have expected with that information, but she just figured that the brunette already knew about it. Rather than trying to defend herself, Yang instead attempted to change the subject. "The weather's been nice recently, huh?"

While she attempted to stifle it, Cinder could not help but chuckle a bit. "You look cute when you're clueless."

Yang only raised a brow. "What d'ya mean? I look cute _all the time_." She grinned.

"No, you look gorgeous all the time." Cinder clarified, offering a small smile to her friend, prompting a brighter smile to be returned as a small blush made it's way onto the blonde's face.

"Aw, flatterer."

While the pair offered smiles at one another, Coco merely sat there, leaning against her uninjured elbow, hand against her cheek as a sly smirk adorned her face. "Now don't you two make a fine couple."

Unfortunately for Yang, she was just taking another sip from her pop when her girlfriend said that, so she ended up nearly spitting it out, while the older woman practically choked on her own. "W-What?"

Seeing the blonde's embarrassment, Coco let out a chuckle. "Kidding. Besides, from what I've heard, Raven's a better match anyway."

Cinder just blinked at the sentiment, certainly not expecting anyone other than Nora to say that she and Raven would make a good couple. But alas... "I have a bad history with female bosses."

"Mom's pretty far from typical, Cinder." Yang shrugged. "I think you two could work."

Another unexpected answer, that Cinder honestly did not know how to react to. Did it make her _happy_ that her friend was saying such a thing about the woman that she may or may not have _small_ crush on? Perhaps, but of course she could not divulge that information. Best to go with the usual. "Thank you, Yang, for... your blessing to seduce your mother."

Yang could not help but chuckle, likely at the wording that the older woman used. "Oh gods don't put it like that."

Coco chuckled along with her girlfriend, though hers more out of amusement, rather than discomfort. "Can you blame her?"

"I kinda can blame her." Yang confirmed.

"Sorry, but you already gave me permission." Cinder shrugged, taking a smug sip of her water. "What do the kids say? _No take backsies?"_

"Kids also say eating cookies from the oven won't hurt." Yang added.

"I mean, I've never hurt myself doin' that." Coco commented, causing the other two to look at her with perplexed looked on their faces. "Trick is not to use your hands."

Yang actually snorted a bit, which was rather amusing. "What, do you just suck them up like a hoover?"

Coco let out a laugh at the question. "If I could've I sure as shit would've, but nah. Just used a spatula like a normal person."

"But the spatula is for pancakes!" Yang attempted to insist.

"A cooking utensil can be used for more than one food, Yang." Coco informed.

Yang then looked between her girlfriend and friend, seemingly astounded at the former's answer. "But then it's tainted!"

"It's not like I left 'em dirty." Coco defended. "We did have a dishwasher."

Now it was Cinder's turn to briefly gaze between the other two. "Am I the only one here who cannot cook?"

Yang and Coco then shared a look. "Probably." Yang answered. "You want me to teach ya?"

Being taught to cook by Yang Xiao Long. Certainly an interesting proposition. Up to and including this point, she had had people in her life to help in that regard. Her... shitty ex-step-parents, Emerald, Nora... It allowed her to go this long without seriously learning how to cook. But... perhaps she should stop relying on others so heavily. "I... suppose I should learn someday."

Yang immediately grinned at the answer. "I'll take that as a yes!"

Cinder just rolled her eye. "Your funeral."

Yang shrugged in response. "As long as you don't burn my apartment down." She proposed, until realizing what she had just said. "Oh, uh, sorry."

Cinder only shook her head, knowing how easy it was to slip up in conversation like that. "It's fine, I prefer knives anyway."

Upon hearing that, Coco raised a brow, mid-pizza bite. "You sayin' you gonna skewer my girlfriend?"

"She's a tough girl." Cinder insisted.

Coco smirked. "Damn right she is. But in case ya do..." She then leaned over toward her girlfriend, lifting her arm to nudge the blonde's chest with her elbow, eliciting the slightest gasp. "Just leave these intact, and there'll be no hard feelings."

Cinder shot a smirk over at her friend. "It seems your body is mine."

Yang furrowed her brow a bit. "Should... I be worried right now?"

Cinder remained quiet for a moment, if only to psych the younger woman out a bit. "Possibly."

Yang then turned to the brunette, her expression... an odd mix of worry and hope. "Have we been datin' long enough for me to call upon you to throw your body in front of Cinder's knife for me?"

Coco just shrugged. "Dunno, you got more chocolate syrup?"

"You know I do." Yang confirmed with a smile.

Coco brought her uninjured hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought, though the sly smirk on her face said that she already had her answer. "Hmm, I'll get back to you."

"What if I promise to _feed_ you your pancakes next time?" Yang offered.

Coco's smirk grew. "Getting warmer."

"Then uh, I'll give you a massage after?" Yang continued.

Coco actually let out a giggle at that proposition. "It's cute when she' tries."

"What about a nice hot bath?" Yang wondered, clearly hoping something would stick.

"Never a quitter." Cinder added with a slight smile of her own.

"Hey, I'm out of practice." Yang shrugged, before her expression faltered, just a bit. "My last girlfriend only wanted me for sex."

Cinder wanted to say something, as she knew how her friend got when discussing certain parts of her past, but it seemed that Coco _beat her to the punch_ , so to speak. "And now you've got me, your awesome new girlfriend, who you still have to convince to _throw my body in front of Cinder's knife_ for you."

Yang remained silent for a few moments, before shrugging again, appearing as if she was out of options. "I give good head."

Coco immediately grinned at the suggestion. " _Now_ we're talkin'."

Cinder just raised her brow. "Honestly? Good enough for you to take a knife for her?"

"Apparently I give _really_ good head." Yang confirmed, somewhat proudly.

"Says _who_?" Cinder questioned. _Certainly could not have been Neo, because that little bitch was never satisfied with anything I did to her._

"My many sordid affairs." Yang informed, prouder than the last answer.

 _Sure they do_. Cinder thought to herself. "Ah yes, coming from the same woman who constantly says she has nothing to do, and merely hangs around her apartment without pants, watching cartoons."

"Hey, I like my pantsless cartoons." Yang defended.

"Favourite past-time." Coco added, reaching up with her uninjured hand, receiving a high five from her girlfriend.

Cinder just rolled her eye at the exchange, though not without a small smile on her face. While she had not known Yang for that long - and Coco for _much_ less time - she was happy that the blonde had found a suitable partner for herself. Well, perhaps a bit more than suitable. Those two were practically a perfect match for each other, as if she was looking at two Yangs, except one was a brunette, and had normal-sized breasts.

"Kids these days..."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

Because as always, your feedback fuels me!


	20. Venting

**Author's Note** : Would you look at that! Less than 2 weeks!

Celebrating _20_ chapters!

* * *

"So _then_ I said-"

"Yang, I swear to gods, if I'm about to hear the same damn punchline you always use, this drink is getting dumped on your head." Weiss threatened, holding up her half-empty White Atlesian for emphasis. While it was true that she might not be in the greatest mood currently, but _anything_ would have been better than hearing one of her friend's shitty, _way too_ overused jokes. All she wanted to do was spend the afternoon at the fairly empty _Perch_ , avoiding her issues after a horrible shift at work through the use of alcohol while her friend attempted to cheer her up. Though, that task was proving to be a bit easier on this particular day, given what happened the prior night...

"Oh, no, _please_ finish the joke, Yang." Cinder insisted from somewhere behind Weiss, approaching the bar counter with a smirk on her face. "I would be absolutely delighted to see Weiss pour her drink all over you."

Okay, now that someone else wanted to see it, Weiss kind of wanted to see it too. So she joined the older woman in smirking at their friend. "I concur. Now, why don't you continue?"

Awkwardly looking between the other two woman, clearly feeling their intense gazes, as both of them eagerly awaited a response, Yang let out a nervous chuckle. "So uh, you see Nora last night, _Cindy_?" She instead slyly wondered.

Unfortunately, Cinder was prepared for the sudden subject change, as she nodded. "I did, we ordered takeout together." She answered, likely much calmer than the blonde was expecting. "And you, _Xiao Long_ , did you demonstrate your talents like you so clearly described the other day?"

Weiss immediately raised a brow at her friend upon hearing that. "Your _talents?"_

Yang just nervously chuckled again, reaching up to awkwardly rub the back of her head. "Well, I uh, showed off my killer cuddlin' skills of course."

Cinder only rolled her eye, for some reason. "Smooth."

"Damn right I am." Yang grinned.

Weiss then looked between the other two, still confused as to what exactly was going on. _What are they talking about_? "Wait, what kind of _talents_ were you referring to, Cinder?"

"Cuddling!" Yang quickly answered before the older woman was able to. "Definitely cuddling. That's what she was talkin' about."

Cinder only smirked in response. "What's the matter, Yang? Hot under the collar?"

"Nope. Dunno what you're talkin' about." Yang attempted to deny, though to little success. Given her tone, her coworker of course knew what was going on, but her friend was still lost. _I must not have been there_. "Perfectly cool over here."

"What is she talking about?" Weiss inquired.

"Go on, Yang." Cinder continued to smirk, leaning across the bar counter to seemingly intimidate her friend further.

"Uh... _Well_ , when we went out for pizza the other day, I _might've_ bragged about how I was uh, good at a certain thing..." Yang hesitantly explained, avoiding eye contact with either of the other two, which appeared to amuse the absolute hell out of Cinder.

"And what was that... _certain thing_ , Yang?"

"I... uh..." Yang began after a few moments, though she trailed off, as something else seemed to catch her eye, somewhere away from them. Then her eyes widened. _What exactly is she seeing_? "Hey look! Ruby's here!" She burst, causing the other two women to turn toward the door, revealing that Ruby was indeed right outside _The Perch's_ window, but not alone. Next to her was a taller, slender woman - A Faunus, given the feline ears that sat atop her head. Her expression was blank, but her facial features were... _exotic_. Delicate, wide almond-shaped eyes shone gold in the sunlight. Not unlike Cinders singular iris, though a tad brighter. Silky black hair flowed down her back, gently blowing in the wind as she and Ruby opened the bar's front door and entered the building. While she attempted to avoid it, Weiss found herself staring at this unknown beauty. _I might be in a relationship, but damn..._

Upon noticing Weiss sitting at the bar counter, Ruby said something to the other woman, causing her to take a seat in one of the empty booths, before smiling brightly and waving at her friend. "Hi Weiss!" She burst, approaching the bar.

Smiling at the younger woman, Weiss grabbed her drink and hopped off the bar stool, but upon doing so, she unfortunately was immediately reminded of the... still fairly uncomfortable pain that was emanating from her... _backdoor_ , so to speak. " _Ah, shit, fuck, son of a bitch_..." She quietly winced, before putting on a smile for her friend. "Hello- _ah_ \- Ruby."

Ruby furrowed her brow, clearly noticing the other woman's discomfort. "Are... you okay?"

Weiss nodded slightly, adjusting her position to hopefully ease the pain, sadly to no avail. "Yeah, it's just my- _fuck_ , rear is a tad sore."

"What happened?" Ruby asked, concern creeping into her voice.

"Vernal and I uh, _experimented_ last night..." Weiss hesitantly explained, keeping her voice a little lower as a slight blush tinted her cheeks. It began like most other recent nights, with Vernal attempting to cheer her up the only way that she seemed to know how: sex. Though it was a bit different than how they normally did it. For one, Vernal actually spent some time between Weiss' legs, which... almost _never_ happened, but _fuck_ was she good at it. So good in fact that she finished twice before her girlfriend donned her dark red strap-on. But when she did on this particular night, there was an... _added_ surprise. Unfortunately, as excited as she was to hear that Vernal wanted to try experimenting with _less conventional_ methods, it did not exactly go according to plan.

Ruby was quiet for a moment. "What?" Then it seemed to hit her. "Oh, _oh_..."

"To be frank, I wrote a cheque that my ass could not cash." Weiss continued, which was certainly not inaccurate. She really thought that she would enjoy that experience, but it sadly ended up being much more uncomfortable and painful than pleasurable. A lot of preparation, ultimately wasted. "You're never more aware of your own body than when you're taking care of business so a dildo doesn't come into contact with it..."

Ruby just blinked at what was probably too much information. "That was very... _graphic."_

"So was the act." Weiss added.

"At least you know you don't enjoy it?" Ruby suggested with a shrug.

Weiss nodded in response after a moment. "Yes, but I can't help but feel disappointed."

"Why's that?" Ruby wondered.

Prior to answering, Weiss leaned closer to her friend, lowering her voice further than before. "I really liked the idea of... um, _d-double... penetration."_

Rather than blushing, or showing any kind of surprised response at all, Ruby merely raised a brow. Somehow, Weiss had forgotten that the younger woman was far more experienced in the realm of kinks. "But wouldn't you need another person for that?"

"I'm sure Vernal would have accommodated." Weiss acknowledged.

"You'd be okay with her just bringing in a random person for you two to have sex with?" Ruby inquired, her brow staying raised.

"Certainly not random!" Weiss insisted, a bit louder than she meant. "Someone she trusts, someone we both know, someone I find attractive and respectful."

Ruby was silent for several moments, instead just idly looking off to the side, seemingly in thought. Then her gaze focused back on her friend. "Like Yang?"

Weiss could immediately feel her face heating up at the... _ludicrous_ suggestion! "O-Of course not! Yang and I are just friends!" _We're... we're just friends..._

Ruby just shrugged again. "Vernal trusts Yang... probably, you both know her, and you've said she's good lookin'. Plus she's always nice to you."

"I know that!" Weiss defended. "But i-it's something else entirely to ask her to have _sex_ with us!" _And even if I wanted to, Yang's got a new, amazing girlfriend anyway..._

"She's pretty chill about the sex stuff." Ruby mentioned.

As hard as she tried, Weiss was unable to suppress her blush. "It'd be weird!"

"We're _all_ weird Weiss." Ruby chuckled. "We hang out in a bar, you're in punk cosplay- well, most of the time, and Pyrrha is practically a sex cultist!"

 _That last one was exaggerating... right_? "Yeah but it's a different kind of weird! It's like you asking _me_ if I wanted to join you and Pyrrha in the bedroom!"

Ruby merely looked from side to side, then back to her friend. "Well, _do you?"_

Weiss could not believe she just heard that. "O-Of course not! You two are like sisters to me!" _Plus, I'm in a loving relationship, and I could not possibly break that bond, no matter... how cute you are... or how much of a fucking goddess Pyrrha is..._

"And Yang _is_ a sister to me, but you think I've never thought _what if_?" Ruby asked.

Weiss' eyes immediately widened at that... _unexpected_ bit of information. "I would _hope_ not!"

Ruby let out an adorable giggle. "Well you can hope all you like, I love my sister! And sometimes the lines get _blurry!"_

Weiss could only just stare at her friend in response. _"_ _What am I hearing right now?"_

"Love's never so simple, Weiss." Ruby smiled, before motioning toward her beautiful friend currently sitting in one of the booths. "Now come on, I wanna introduce ya to someone." She informed, leading Weiss toward said booth. Though before they got far, Ruby leaned in for a whisper. _"And don't worry, you're not the only one who stares at Yang's boobs."_

Weiss just rolled her eyes. "No shit." She deadpanned while being lead toward the booth. Unfortunately, as she was, her mind began to go blank from realizing just how beautiful this unknown woman was. _Gods damn she's so hot._

"Blakey!" Ruby burst upon them reaching the table, causing the woman to actually flinch before she looked up at them. "This is Weiss! Normally she's more... _punky_ , but it looks like she was at work earlier."

Weiss could only put on a fairly awkward smile, attempting not to make it obvious that she was staring. "H-Hello, I am Weiss. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She introduced, stiffly holding out her hand.

Blake merely furrowed her brow a bit at the... horribly odd introduction, hesitantly reaching out to shake the other woman's hand. "I'm... Blake Belladonna. Nice to meet you. That's a cool jacket."

 _And so polite, too_. "I thank you."

As the other two timidly shook hands, Ruby looked to her not-so-punk friend with a raised brow. "Uh, Weiss? Why're talking like that?"

Weiss did not even look away from the beautiful Faunus woman before her. "I am unsure what you mean, Ruby. I am simply introducing myself to this lovely woman." _More like extremely fucking attractive. Gods, Ruby, how to you find so many gorgeous women like this?!_

"Have... you been drinking?" Ruby wondered.

"This is a bar, is it not?" Weiss countered.

"I mean yeah, but you're actin' really weird. Are you okay?" Ruby asked, a slight amount of concern creeping into her voice.

"Perfectly adequate." Weiss attempted to confirm, though she guessed her friend was not buying it, since she had not stopped staring at that goddess of a woman since introducing herself. _Stop making it obvious you think she's so attractive!_

Unfortunately for her, Blake took notice. "Do... I have something on my face?"

 _Fuck_. Weiss could only shake her head, slightly and quickly. "No... No, it's perfect."

"Oh... Thank you." Blake smiled, a bit awkwardly.

"You are... most welcome, babe- _Blake_!" Weiss began, before having to correcting herself as her cheeks immediately heated up out of embarrassment. _You fucking moron_! The only thing she could manage to think of was to just sit down across from Blake and chug her White Atlesian, as well as avoid eye contact at all costs.

"Oh, hey Cinder! Come meet my friend!" Ruby suddenly burst, thankfully drawing the attention away from Weiss, and causing the other two to look over to where their friend was gazing. From partway across the bar, they watched Cinder look over in their direction, seemingly deciding whether or not to accept Ruby's offer. Eventually she let out a small sigh - at least it appeared that way - and approached the three.

"Hello again, Rose." Cinder flatly greeted.

"I-I mean, technically it's Nikos, _but I guess it's okay if you call me Rose..._ " Ruby began, but trailed off into mumbling. "A-Anyways! This is Blake! She's visiting from Menagerie!"

Shifting her gaze to the woman in question, Cinder took a step closer and held out her hand. "Cinder Fall."

Blake timidly held out her own hand to shake the older woman's. "H-Hi." Though as she did, Weiss was able to spot a shiny, golden ring on her finger, adorned with a dazzling purple gem in the center. _Fuck!_

"Th-that's a beautiful ring, Blake." Weiss awkwardly smiled. "I've never seen that style before."

Raising her hand to admire the ring, Blake smiled as well. "It's traditional for Menagerians to forge their own engagement rings. This was the... fifth one Sun made."

 _Oh wow, that's incredible..._

Seeing her friend drawing attention to her other friend's engagement ring appeared to excite Ruby. "Tell them the story or how you and Sun got engaged, Blakey!" She requested as she slid into the booth next to the Faunus.

Blake could not help but chuckle slightly at the younger woman's excitement. "Well, we um, we got engaged about seven months ago, after Sun decided to create his own makeshift drive-in theatre... all for me." Then she grinned at the memory. "He said it was the hipster way to watch movies. A-Anyway, we watched a couple old movies, then set up camp under the stars. It was a beautiful night... and at the end of it, he asked me to marry him."

 _Aw, that's adorable. I can't imagine Vernal doing anything even remotely like that..._

"He sounds like a dear." Cinder somewhat flatly complimented. "Now, does anyone here want anything to drink? Weiss, I take it you want another White Atlesian?"

"That would be most appreciated." Weiss quite-awkwardly responded. "Thank you, Cinder."

Cinder merely looked at the younger woman for an extra second, likely confused by the _very_ non-punk-like language, before moving on to Blake. _Gods damnit, why does Ruby's friend have to be so attractive_?! "Alright, and you?"

"I-I'll have a vodka, straight... please." Blake timidly requested.

"Sure thing." Cinder acknowledged. "And for Rose..."

"Strawberry Sunrise, please!" Ruby adorably beamed.

"Of course, coming right up." Cinder nodded, turning on a heel to head toward the bar counter hatch so that she could begin preparing their drinks.

Once their waitress was gone, Weiss shifted her gaze back to Blake, hopefully not with the same look she had when she was previously staring at her. _Please gods, give me strength to be less awkward_! "So Blake, what is it you do for work in Menagerie?" _Well, that wasn't terrible._

"Oh, just a writer for the local newspaper." Blake informed. "I do have some... other small published works too, but that's just a side thing right now. B-But Sun has a much more exciting job than I do. He's a surfing instructor, and a lifeguard, so he always has new stories from work." Then she smiled, meekly. "Like, there was this one time a few months ago, where he found this little girl who'd paddled out to sea along, and got scared by the big waves, so she ended up lost on the store. Sun had to bring her across several beach areas before they were able to find her parents." Then Blake quietly chuckled a bit. "He was so proud of himself that he never stops talking about it..."

"He sounds like quite the hero." Weiss smiled, trying her absolute hardest to not stare. _And one lucky son of bitch._

"He really is..." Blake agreed. " So what do you do for work? Because that bright pink shirt doesn't look very _punk."_

Weiss looked down at her current attire. "Oh this? I work at a local ice creamery: _Two Scoops of Vale_." She explained, a slight embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks. "A stepping stone really, till I figure out where I am to go career wise."

"Do you have any ideas of where you want to go?" Blake inquired, just as Cinder returned with their drinks.

"I...uh... Oh, thank you, Cinder." Weiss smiled again as she took the White Atlesian. The other two thanked the older woman as well. Though as they began sipping on their drinks, Weiss realized that she had not really thought about what she wanted to do, not for a long time... So she just shrugged. "Not really? It's a big question, and I've never been able to find an answer."

"Well, try not to worry about it too much, the answer will come before you know it." Blake comforted. _Incredibly hot, and helpful? Gods damn_. "Hell, I didn't even know I wanted to be a writer until... until Yang told me how good my short stories were..."

"Yang reads?" Weiss immediately blurted out, unable to stop herself from saying it. Upon realizing what she had just said, a deep blush quickly tinted her cheeks. _Why would you say that_?! "I-I mean, you know Yang?"

Blake just timidly nodded. "Y-Yeah... I've known her and Ruby since we were kids." She explained, before her expression fell. "Yang... w-was my first and only friend for a long time after my family moved to Patch..."

"That's right!" Ruby suddenly burst. "She moved _aaaaallll_ the way from Menagerie so she could meet her future best friend!"

Though her expression was still that of... slight sorrow, Blake managed a chuckle. "Well, not exactly. My dad got transferred for work, but Ruby is kinda right." Then her shoulders slumped, her expression falling once more, causing Weiss to furrow her brow ever so slightly. "Yang... got me through... well, everything that came with moving across the world. And... i-if it hadn't been for her... I probably wouldn't have followed my passion... Or even gotten out of my shell..."

Definitely sensing her friend's change in tone, Ruby changed the subject, sort of. "You should tell Weissy the fish story!"

Weiss only raised her brow at the... _interesting_ suggestion. "The... _fish_ story?"

Blake only let out a sigh, taking a rather large sip from her vodka. "Yeah, it's Ruby's favourite."

While something seemed... _off_ , Weiss could not help but become curious. "Well, would it be too much to hear it?"

Blake only shook her head. "No, no, of course not." She assured with a small smile. "It was back when... Y-Yang and I were kids. After she found out how much I liked fish, she insisted that she could catch me some fresh ones. So, she stole- sorry, _borrowed_ her dad's fishing rod and dragged me out to the stream near their house. Though there was some problem. Neither of us knew how to fish, Yang didn't bring any kind of bait, and the stream we were at wasn't even populated..." Then her smile faded, her gaze falling to the drink in her hands. _Did... something happen between Blake and Yang_? "But even so... Yang didn't give up, even... even promising me that she'd stay out there until she caught something... and she did. She tried and tried for hours, until her dad finally figured out where we were and took us back to their place." Then Blake sniffled, yet still managed a small smile. "Th-The funny thing was... we had salmon that evening... Y-Yang said it totally counted..."

Though she was a bit concerned whether or not the other woman was alright, Weiss could not help but smile as well. "Typical Yang. Goes absolutely out of her way to ensure others are happy, even at the price of her own happiness." _Like apparently spending hundreds of extra lien for my birthday present a few weeks ago._

"Reminds me of her first time at our house." Blake added, her lip twitching as she attempted to maintain her smile. "Sh-She was so worried about offending my parents somehow... even d-did research on Faunus culture..." While she spoke, Weiss noticed something. Tears were beginning to pool in her eyes, as if merely talking about her past with Yang was... _painful_. Then her lip quivered. "I-Instead my parents loved her... Y-Yang helped my dad get a frisbee out of a tree in our backyard for one of the neighbour's kids, and she e-even helped my mom cook dinner for us..." Blake attempted to continue, but she struggled, as fresh tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Th-They said... they couldn't be happier that... _that I had b-befriended such a wonderful girl..."_

Now Weiss was beginning to regret asking.

Bringing a hand up to attempt to wipe the tears from her face, Blake sniffled again. "I-I'm sorry... I just..." Then she half-turned to her friend. "Wh-Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, uh, just back there." Ruby answered, pointing toward to the back of the bar, her expression one of regret, likely from having the Faunus talk about her sister.

Blake merely nodded, rather meekly, without even fully looking at either of the two. "E-Excuse me..." She mumbled, waiting for Ruby to move before raising from her seat and quietly heading toward the bathroom, leaving the other two in awkward silence. Though after she was gone, it did give Weiss a chance to think. _Those memories both sounded so pleasant... So... What exactly happened between her and Yang to cause her to cry like that_? Turning to look at the blonde, who she expected to still be behind the bar counter, Weiss found only Cinder back there. In fact, she was nowhere to be found in the main area at all. Did she take a break? No... Her last one was less than an hour ago, just before Weiss arrived at _The Perch_... and her shift was not over for several hours... So then...

Where was Yang?

* * *

So it turned out Yang was not even in the building.

The first place Weiss checked was _The Perch's_ break room, with Cinder's permission of course, since she herself did not work there. Unfortunately upon heading into the back area, her friend was nowhere to be found. Which only raised more questions. If she was not in there, where could she be? _Perhaps Raven will know_... So Weiss knocked on the owner's door to ask. Sadly, Raven ended up not knowing either, explaining how she only saw her daughter exit the main area through the break room door. Thanking her for the help, Weiss then entered the bar's back room once more, having an idea as to where her friend could have gone. Making her way through the area, she stopped for a moment, as she caught a glimpse of the storage closet out of the corner of her eye, where... up until recently, she and Vernal had shared many pleasurable experiences. Shaking away those thoughts - seeing as they reminded her of her current situation at home - Weiss continued toward the back door, where she hoped her search would come to its end. Thankfully, it seemed it would be, though not exactly as she expected.

Upon opening the somewhat squeaky back door, Weiss found the blonde sitting on the small set of stairs that connected the exit to the parking lot, merely staring forward at the pavement in front of her as she sipped on a Hunter energy drink, appearing... _dejected. So this is where she went..._

"Yang... are you alright?"

Yang did not even look up. "You ever think May and Vanessa should've been paired together?"

Weiss could not help but furrow her brow. _Is... she talking about Haragiri_? At least she was fairly certain about that. _Haragiri_ was an animated series that Yang had gotten her into recently, focused on a group of high school students working at a family restaurant by the same time. "That depends. Logically they were a horrible match for one another, far too many differences."

Yang only sighed. "I guess, but even so... They just seemed so perfect together..."

"I agree." Weiss acknowledged, sitting down on the steps by her friend's side. "Logic doesn't matter, it's the heart that dictates where we end up."

Yang remained silent for a moment. "If that was really true, I'd be in there with you guys..."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Weiss countered. "I could hardly handle it in there."

Surprisingly, Yang managed the slightest smile, which, though small, was a good sign. "Well, you made it a hell of a lot longer than me."

Weiss could not help but let out a chuckle. "I can't blame you, I mean... fuck... she's kinda hot." _Well, more like drop-dead fucking gorgeous._

Yang sighed again. "Gods, she's only gotten hotter."

"Like finely aged wine." Weiss commented, unable to stop her mind from wandering back to a few minutes ago when she was unable to stop staring at that goddess of a woman. _Fucking hell, control yourself, Weiss._

"Did you get a peek at her ass?" Yang wondered, glancing over at her friend for the first time with a small smirk. _At least she's feeling well enough to make jokes._

"Not exactly, we were sitting in a booth." Weiss informed.

"Good, 'cause that thing'll fuckin' hypnotize you." Yang added.

Weiss' eyes immediately widened upon hearing that. _Good gods, that must be some ass_. "See, now I'm going to try to stare at it. Thanks, Yang." To which her friend only grinned slightly.

"You're welcome Weiss."

Even with the teasing, Weiss could not help but chuckle. "She's like, the _epitome_ of the _tall, dark and beautiful_ trope."

"It's probably why I'm attracted to Cinder." Yang commented.

Weiss raised a brow at the information. _She's... attracted to Cinder? Well, that is certainly unexpected_. "Why is that?"

Taking a sip of her seemingly near-empty energy drink, Yang smiled a bit, as if beginning to think about the woman in question. "Tall, slender, golden eyes- well, _eye_ , but it still counts, and a _lovely_ ass. Like, fuck, whenever I'm behind the bar, I gotta make sure I don't stare."

Hearing her friend gush about her coworker only made Weiss let out a sigh. "Ah yes, the opposite of me."

Suddenly, Yang perked up, turning to the other woman with a surprised expression. " _Hey_ , that's not a fair comparison." She defended, grabbing Weiss by the shoulders. "You are a beautiful, short, curvy girl with a tight butt and Vernal's lucky to have you!"

A small blush quickly found its way onto Weiss' face at the compliments. "I-I'm not really curvy... but... th-thank you, Yang." _Though my ass might be a little less tight after last night..._

"It's what I'm here for." Yang grinned as she let go, before that grin faltered, her gaze returning to the pavement in front of the two. "So uh, you enjoy talkin' to Blake?"

Weiss only shrugged. "I didn't really talk with Blake, more like _at_ her."

Yang furrowed her brow, looking up at her friend, perplexed. "What's that mean?"

"I think I made a right boob of myself." Weiss sighed.

"Hey, better than a left boob." Yang giggled, only receiving a deadpan look from the other woman in return. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I wanna hear this."

Weiss just pouted. " _My brain just shut off, okay!"_

Yang chuckled a bit in response. "Yeah, she's got that effect on some people. How'd you get outta there?"

"I chugged my atlesian." Weiss simply answered.

Yang only quirked a brow. "And that _didn't_ make things worse?"

 _Well, it didn't make things worse_. "I'm feeling a little light headed, yes."

"So why're you out here with me, instead of finding a way to stare at _the Bellabooty_?" Yang wondered, her tone amused, but her expression downcast.

"Because you're my friend, and I was worried about you." Weiss declared, reaching up to place a hand onto her friend's shoulder, offering a smile. "Plus, Blake started crying and it was super awkward."

Hearing that seemed to cause Yang to perk up again, her expression full of concern. "She... started crying? Why? What happened? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I don't really know." Weiss admitted. "She told a couple stories about you two when you were young and then she excused herself."

Yang only slumped back down at the answer. "Oh..."

Seeing how her friend had reacted each time she mentioned Blake, Weiss could not help but wonder something. "Yang, did... something happen between you two?"

"You could say that." Yang mumbled.

 _Oh, so it's like that_. "It's okay, I won't pry."

Yang shook her head. "No, it's... it's fine. I should tell you." She insisted, taking a deep breath. "We uh, we've known each other since we were kids, met when her family moved to Patch 'cause of some career reasons, I don't really remember that well. But we were instant friends. _stuck to each other like glue_ and all that. It was... well, it was great. She was my best friend, and I couldn't imagine my childhood without her." Yang explained, before pausing briefly. "Then came high school, where... everything changed. We were at a party, got into a game of truth or dare with a bunch of the others, and... someone dared me to kiss her. S-So I did." Then she managed a tiny, brief smile, likely from the memory. "Blake got all embarrassed and blushy, i-it was adorable... But I took it too far. I-I laughed and teased her about it, and... kissed her cheeks a bunch more, which only made things worse. She tried to get me off of her, but I wouldn't listen. I should've listened..."

As her friend spoke, Weiss noticed how her voice was beginning to wobble, so she reached up again, this time to put an arm around the blonde's shoulder, hoping it would help, if only a little.

Yang let out a sigh. "People... used to make jokes about how they were surprised we weren't dating after that night, but... I just laughed it off, told 'em we were best friends, but... it turned out Blake was starting to think about me differently. And when I eventually got a boyfriend, I learned just how much." Then Yang took a shaky breath. "One day, while we were hangin' out, like we always did, she... she confessed to me... a-and I rejected her... Thought it was 'cause I was straight, but I later found out that wasn't the case, since... after I broke up with my boyfriend, I fell for her." She sniffled, her lip almost quivering. "But I was too late... She was already with Sun, and I had lost my only chance... That's where it should've ended. I should've moved on from there... but I didn't, for months..." Now Weiss was beginning to see tears pooling in the blonde's eyes. "I-Instead, I made this dumbass plan to tell her how I felt... at our high school grad party. I was anxious as hell, could barely hold my alcohol, scared shitless of fucking it up... which I did..." She mumbled, as tears began to stream down her face. "I don't even remember it, I got black-out drunk and forgot everything, and... we stopped talking, just nothing, for weeks. Ruby was the one who found out she'd moved, a-and just like that... she was gone."

Weiss could feel her heart ache for Yang, so she tightened her grip on around her friend's shoulder, pulling her closer.

"We always loved each other, but... just picked the shittiest times to realize we... _loved_ each other..." Yang near-whimpered, finally breaking down as she began to softly cry.

Not knowing what else to do, Weiss reached up with her other arm and pulled the blonde into a tight hug, gently rubbing her back as she sobbed into her shoulder. They sat there for several minutes, neither saying a single word. Weiss attempted to think of something to somehow console her crying friend, but nothing came to mind. Yang had always been the one listening to her problems, so... she was unsure of how exactly to help. Perhaps it was all that she _could_ do, and maybe that was for the best.

" _Weiss_..." Yang suddenly spoke, her voice low, barely above a whisper. Then she sniffled, lifting her head up off of the other woman's shoulder, looking directly into her frosty blue eyes. "Please... Please don't wait for things to happen with stuff like this... I-I don't... want you to end up like me... l-like a fuck-up..."

Weiss only blinked at what she just heard. "You're _not_ a fuck-up, Yang. We all make mistakes. I- _I_ make mistakes. I covet other women, I covet other _men_ , I constantly fantasize about killing my customers, I..." She let out a sigh. "I've been in some very, _very_ dark places, but we persevere, we move on and we grow stronger for it. Look, I know this stuff with Blake is difficult, but continuing to dwell on it won't help. You have to keep moving forward." Then she offered a smile, finally releasing her friend. "Besides, you have an awesome new girlfriend that Blake should totally be jealous of. You get to sleep with a veritable _model_ , I can only imagine what you two get up to in the bedroom."

After a moment, Yang actually chuckled a bit as she wiped the stray tears from her face, which was at least a good sign. "I guess, but we haven't actually uh, _done_ anything like that yet. We're keepin' things _light and breezy_ , remember?"

Weiss raised a brow. "Really? Nothing at all?" _Though now that I think about it, I suppose I haven't heard any weird sex stories since they became an item._

Yang only shrugged. "I mean we've cuddled a bunch, seen each other's tits- hers are fuckin' nice by the way, and last week she licked chocolate syrup right off my face, but we haven't like, had sex or anything."

 _So... she and Coco have seen each other's breasts, yet they have not slept together yet_? "You two are strange."

Yang just smirked at the light insult. "Says the one who had a dildo up her ass last night."

Weiss' eyes immediately widened upon realizing what her friend had just said. "You heard that?!"

"I've got good ears, punk stuff." Yang added. "And you weren't exactly bein' subtle."

Weiss could only manage to pout. "Oh, shush."

Letting out one last chuckle as she finished wiping off her face, Yang somewhat awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. "So uh, anything you wanna rant about? Since you did just kinda sit through my life story with Blake."

"I don't think I'm one for ranting Yang." Weiss admitted. "I'm more of a _suffer in silence_ type."

"Good point." Yang acknowledged, bringing a hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought. "Anything you wanna just talk about then? 'Cause you know I'm all ears if you've got somethin' in your mind."

Weiss just sighed. "That may be the problem, there's too much on my mind. I'm overthinking something that should be simple, and it's hurting my head."

"Well, maybe I can help with it." Yang offered with a small smile. "You might just need a second opinion."

Weiss let out another sigh, leaning her head against the blonde's shoulder. "I feel like I've trapped myself, and it scares me out of rationality."

"How so?" Yang inquired. "Somethin' with your job? 'Cause you know I can ask Summer or Tai if you want help finding somethin' else."

Weiss shook her head, which was a bit awkward from her current position. "No, my job is fine, an annoyance but stable... No, it's not so clear cut, it's this... entire situation really."

"With... Blake?" Yang wondered, sounding a tad confused

"No, you dolt, with _Vernal_!" Weiss corrected.

Yang was silent for a moment. "Oh." Then she chuckled lightly. "My bad. So what's up? I'm uh, guessin' things aren't so good yet..."

"It's... It's not that they aren't good, it's that they haven't... haven't changed." Weiss attempted to explain. "But really they have changed, because the things I thought I knew no longer apply, and it's dawning on me the reality of the situation I have placed myself in, and it frightens me... because what was no longer is, and if I take the action I believe I should, it may cease to be entirely..."

Unseen by the other woman, Yang just blinked, glancing down at her friend. "You're... thinking of breaking up with her?"

Weiss let out an unsteady breath. "I am _fretting_ that should I confront Vernal with a lack of total compromise it may be my only valid option, and given my reliance on her charity to live comfortably in the first place, I am fucking _terrified_ of what may come next..." She continued, before her voice broke, her legs drawing close to her body as she buried her face in her hands.

"Well... You should never be afraid to talk to Vernal, but... if things do end up goin' sour... you know you can come stay at my place." Yang declared.

Weiss looked up, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "R-Really?"

Yang offered a warm, beautiful smile in response. "Of course, punk stuff." She assured, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders and pulling her into a hug. "Plus, even if _I_ didn't, anyone else here would. Hell, I'm sure even Nora would offer to take you in."

Weiss just scoffed, letting out a cross between a sob and a chuckle, snuggling into the blonde's warmth. "I don't deserve you."

Yang only chuckled herself. "Funny, I've thought the same thing about you."

 _Of course she has_. "That's because you're a big, dumb, selfless oaf, and if your heart was made of gold you'd donate it to charity or something equally stupid."

"Or make myself a golden sex toy." Yang suggested with a stupid grin.

Weiss immediately snorted at the answer. "Damnit, that's a good one."

"Just imagine it. _Fucking yourself with gold_." Yang described. "Sounds like the definition of wealthy to me."

"And being non reactive, it's quite healthy, though the aristocracy tended toward ivory." Weiss added, somewhat proud to share the fact with someone. _Because gods know Vernal doesn't really care._

Yang only laughed. "Only _you_ could be given that scenario and think of the health benefits."

Weiss managed a small grin at her friend's reaction, as she had more than just that single fact. "Well you see, being non reactive means the metal cannot tarnish, rust or otherwise dissolve in some way that is harmful to us. It's not more healthy than a latex dildo but it's certainly not unhealthy."

Yang just continued to laugh, clearly amused by the other woman's knowledge of that area. "And here I was just thinkin' how cool it'd be to say _hey, I fucked myself with gold last night."_

Even from her position on the blonde's shoulder, Weiss shrugged. "I feel it would be worth posting online, anonymously of course."

Yang snickered. "Psh, yeah right. If you had a golden dildo I'm sure I'd be the first to hear you braggin' about it."

"Play your cards right, I might even allow you to see it." Weiss smirked, though it went mostly unseen.

Yang faux-gasped. "Oh how generous of you! I would be truly honoured to be in the presence of your golden dildo!"

Weiss immediately rolled her eyes, though a smile still graced her features. She was quite used to her friend's praising - even if this time was over a fairly unrealistic, hypothetical scenario - it never ceased to be amusing. "Flatterer." To which Yang only laughed once more.

"You say that like you _just_ figured it out."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hope you all enjoyed! Let me know what you think!

Because as always, your feedback fuels me!


	21. Impulse

**Author's Note** : Wow, this one took a while, but it's finally here!

So I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Cinder had never in her life been invited to a _girls night_ before, and that was... both exciting and incredibly nerve-wracking at the same time.

What kind of night should she be expecting? Or better yet, what even happened at _girls nights_? Was she supposed to bring something? Well, aside from a set of pyjamas - which in her case was a pair of grey sweat pants and an old crimson tank top - as per Yang's instructions. Or dress a certain way? Now that she thought about it, she hoped a pair of jeans and a black zip-up sweater was alright. Or participate in certain activities? So many questions, and no past knowledge that she could properly rely on. This was not high school, Cinder was not a social queen anymore, and these were not teenagers... Even if a few of them certainly _acted_ like it sometimes.

So there Cinder was, standing before the front door to Yang's apartment, an old gym bag slung over her shoulder... Emerald's gym bag... and wishing Nora could be there with her. Unfortunately, her friend was busy with... other, _work-related_ arrangements. Though, what could she really expect? Yang did kind of plan this _girls night_ rather last minute, seeing as not a few hours ago, Cinder was on her shift with Vernal, wondering what exactly she was going to have for dinner. Then she received a text from the blonde, reading _Hey! I'm thinkin of havin a little get together with the girls tonight, you and Nora wanna come_? And just like that, she had plans. How wonderful. Now all that needed to be done was to knock on the door.

So... what exactly was she waiting for? She already knew everyone who was to be in attendance - Yang, Coco, Weiss, Vernal, and Ruby - yet still, something kept her from moving. Perhaps it was due to Nora not being there by her side, to help her through this new experience. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that this was her first time at Yang's apartment. Or even because she was a _tad_ late because of those first two reasons. In truth, it could be for a number of reasons, but one thing was for sure, merely standing there worrying was not going to do anything for her. So, taking a deep breath, she raised her arm and provided a few swift knocks on the door, and only a few moments later, it opened, revealing Yang - clad in an orange tank top and black booty shorts - who brightly smiled upon seeing the older woman.

"Hey! Glad you could make it!" Then the blonde's smile faltered a bit, as she looked around the older woman. "But uh, where's Nora?"

 _On her knees, I imagine_. Cinder thought herself, _thankfully_ without actually saying it. _Or on her back, or perhaps even up against... I should stop thinking about this_. Shaking away the _less-than-appropriate_ thoughts from her mind, she attempted to offer a small smile in return. "Unfortunately she could not make it, as she has clients to deal with tonight."

Luckily Yang understood, since she was already aware of Nora's... _unorthodox_ line of work. "Ah, well that's a bummer, but there's always next time. Come on in!" She beamed, gesturing for the other woman to enter, which she did, slowly walking into the relatively messy apartment. An assortment of random items cluttered what little shelving was available, as well as other surfaces such as tables. Comic books, bike manuals and magazines, cartoon DVD box sets, other knickknacks - not to mention all the posters and paintings that covered every available wall within eyesight - all gave a feeling of claustrophobia without actually causing anxiety, which was... odd to say the least. It was like... _organized chaos_. One thing Cinder did notice as Yang closed the door behind them was that... they were the only ones there, even though the older woman had arrived late.

"Am... I the first one here?"

Yang just let out a slight chuckle at the question. "Yeah, turns out tryin' to plan a girls night on the same afternoon was a bit too last-minute for most people. So uh, you were the only one who wasn't busy." She explained, making her way past Cinder into the apartment. "Weiss isn't feeling well, and figured Vernal didn't wanna come without her, which uh, yeah I get, and Ruby just got back to me since she was at work, sayin' she and Pyr and takin' Coco out for dinner to _get her outta the apartment more_ , 'cause _apparently_ hangin' around her with me doesn't count."

 _Wait a minute. If Weiss and Vernal are unable to make it, as well as Coco and Rose..._ "So that means..." Cinder began, before trailing off, causing the blonde to grin.

"You're stuck with me!" Yang burst, spreading her arms, as if presenting herself somehow.

 _The whole night, alone with her..._ "Oh dear."

Yang only laughed at the older woman's reaction. "Sorry about not tellin' you sooner, but I know you were kinda lookin' forward to tonight, and I didn't wanna cancel it so last minute. Plus, I had another idea for what we could do tonight. If you're up for it of course."

Cinder raised her brow, wondering what exactly the blonde had planned. "And what might that be?"

As expected, Yang merely grinned for a few moments, like she was attempting to build tension. "Remember last week when I offered to teach you how to cook?"

"I do." _As well as the strange relationship that you and your new girlfriend, Coco, have._

" _Well_ , since no one else could come, I was just wonderin', you wanna take a _famous Xiao Long cooking lesson_?" Yang offered, a warm smile adorning her face.

Cinder opened her mouth to respond, but paused for a moment to think. While she was a tad hesitant to accept such an offer, due to her... _less-than-impressive_ skills in that particular area, as well as not wanting to ruin her friend's kitchen, at the same time... it was rather generous... and it would be nice to finally, properly learn... Especially when she considered that it would not cost her anything. "That depends."

Yang furrowed her brow at the answer. "On what?"

"How flammable is your kitchen?" Cinder wondered, a smirk quickly making its way onto her face. Of course she was not at all serious, but also knew that teasing the blonde was quite enjoyable, given her normal reactions.

"Uh... fairly?" Yang hesitantly answered.

"I'll watch my step." Cinder smirked.

That response clearly did not instill confidence in the blonde. "Alright, I'll uh, I'll keep the fire extinguisher nearly then."

It was highly unlikely that Cinder was _actually_ going to set anything alight, it was fun to tease her friend. "A smart idea."

After a moment of silence, Yang cleared her throat, appearing not quite sure what to do with only Cinder there with her. In all honesty, she was probably the worst person to be alone with. Well, aside from Vernal, as everyone but Weiss would likely agree. "Anywho, since it's just us, you wanna take a tour or somethin'? Since it's a little soon to start cookin'."

Even though Cinder was able to see what was likely most of the apartment already - and she could guess what lied beyond the three room doors farther in - Cinder figured that it would be polite to accept the offer. "Lead the way." She agreed, placing her bag down next to her shoes.

And so the tour began. First was the living room, which of course was the easiest to start in, considering that they were currently standing in it. Consisting of the standard furniture - a couch, coffee table, flat-screen television, etcetera - it was... quaint, much like Cinder's own apartment- Well, it _would_ be if hers was not a total shithole. Next was the kitchen, which honestly, did not exactly include much to see. It was a standard kitchen, with all the usual appliances. Nothing really special about it. Though it did give Yang the chance to offer Cinder a beer, which was both a nice offer and a good idea, as both of them were well aware that alcohol would do something to ease the slight awkwardness that stemmed from the current situation. After all, the only other time that the two had been alone together _outside_ of work was when they got pizza the prior week, and that was for about twenty minutes before Coco had arrived. That did not mean she found it _unpleasant_ to be alone with Yang - far from it in fact - rather... she was still a tad uncomfortable with being alone in her home for the first time. No matter, that was what alcohol was for. _Liquid courage_ , as it were.

After Cinder had made her choice from the several brands of craft beer that the blonde had purchased for the original _girls night_ plans, the tour continued. Much like the kitchen, apartment's one bathroom was not exactly much to see - Well, aside from the older woman attempting to catch a peek at what brand of shampoo her friend used, since her hair always smelled so strongly of oranges. It made her curious, but unfortunately she was unable to discretely spot it. So they moved onto Yang's bedroom, which was another point of curiosity, if only for the intimate nature of the location. Normally, apartment or house tours did not include showing off one's bedroom, so it was... interesting that Yang was choosing to include it in hers.

Upon stepping into blonde's room, Cinder took a moment to admire the space, at least when Yang turned on the light. It was certainly nicer than her own bedroom - which was technically just the main room of her apartment - with a variety of cartoon posters covering the dark-red walls, figurines and DVD box sets lining the dresser and single book shelf, which... surprisingly enough, included actual _books_ , and the bed... Damn, that thing looked so comfortable, _especially_ when compared to her own lumpy mass. Thick, deep-purple sheets covered a high mattress, and... Wow. Cinder would kill to have a bed that pleasant-looking again... It almost made her want to ask to... _try it out_ for a while. She could use a nap. Thankfully she was able to hold back, as she had not consumed nearly enough alcohol for that as of yet, being only a few drinks into her first can. Although, it did not exactly stop her from speaking _completely_ \- not counting the standard _what a lovely room_ comment.

"Hm, I see you put away all of your sex toys." Cinder teased, flashing a slight smirk over at her friend before taking another sip from her beer. Honestly, she had no idea if her friend even _owned_ any toys, she just thought it would be amusing.

Though it seemed that Yang was prepared for a remark of that nature. "Only the one's I remembered, just say _Code Yang_ if you spot one."

Cinder was unable to hold back a small chuckle. "Almost like a scavenger hunt, though a rather inappropriate one."

Yang joined her with a laugh as she turned off the bedroom light. "Idea for a party game: _Sex toy scavenger hunt."_

As the pair made their way back to the main room, Cinder let out another chuckle. "It's unfortunate the others were unable to attend, else we'd have made an event of it."

Yang merely waved away the suggestion, as she sipped on her own beer. "Yeah, as if. I'd need to buy a shit-ton more toys to actually make that work, seeing as I've only got one. Well, that and a bigger apartment."

Cinder just scoffed a bit. "Try not having any."

Yang legitimately gasped at the reveal. "Oh, you poor woman."

Cinder merely rolled her eye at her friend's reaction. "Only temporarily, my budget is a tad more generous now."

Yang then let out a sigh, as if... _relieved_ that the older woman would soon be able to satisfy herself through the use of means other from her hand. Though in truth, with Nora around, she hardly ever felt for... _self-satisfaction_ in that area. "Well that's good to hear. I can't imagine not havin' _Ol' Reliable_." She acknowledged, plopping down onto her couch and taking another drink from her beer. "So uh, it's still pretty early for dinner, you wanna just hang out for a bit?"

Cinder raised her brow. " _Hang out_? It seems you are mistaken. I was under the impression that tonight would be reserved for cooking lessons. I did not sign up for _hanging out_." She explained, doing her best to hold back a smirk as she finished her can. "Though if you can be a good girl and fetch me a fresh beer, perhaps then I'll _hang out_ with you."

Rather than telling her to get it herself, or even requesting a _please_ , Yang excitedly hopped up off the couch. "Yes ma'am!" She burst, hurrying into the kitchen to actually retrieve another beer for the older woman.

Cinder was legitimately surprised that that worked. For the second time in a row, her friend had listened to a somewhat ridiculous command. " _So eager_ , one would be forgiven for thinking you _enjoy_ being ordered around." She smirked, feeling a rush of familiarity of when she used to be _Queen Bee_ back in high school. If she was being completely honest, part of her missed the ability to give out orders, but at the same time, she was also quite happy that she had moved on from that life. Plus, she was perfectly aware that she blonde was just being nice, and that she did not really _enjoy_ taking orders like that... probably. She was not _entirely_ sure about that last part.

Rather than responding, Yang just opened up the fridge and pulled out another can of the craft beer that her friend had chosen, before shutting it again and bringing it to the older woman, flashing a smirk at her."Only by attractive women."

Cinder only rolled her eye. "Flatterer." She scoffed at the compliment, accepting the beer, popping open the tab, and taking a sip. "Every day I feel the purity of youth slipping from what's left of my fingers."

Yang let out a chuckle. "Last time I checked, you were thirty-four, not eighty-four, Cinder." Then she plopped down onto the couch, reaching forward to grab what looked like a controller of some kind off of the coffee table. "But if you think you're so old, how 'bout we get some of that youth back with some good ol' fashion video games?"

Cinder immediately raised her brow at the suggestion. " _Video games_? What do you take me for, a child?"

"Hey!" Yang burst. "People play these for a living you know!"

"And you assume that they can be used to entertain an _old bird_ like myself?" Cinder inquired, taking a larger sip from her drink.

"Yeah, why not?" Cinder shrugged. "There's somethin' for everyone."

Cinder thought it over for a few moments. While it was true that she had never been one for playing video games, as she never found any interest in them, Emerald used to play some. Perhaps now could be the time to finally give one a try. "Very well, I suppose I can humour you until it's time to prepare dinner."

Yang quickly grinned upon hearing the response. "Yay!" She beamed, as her friend sat down next to her.

Once seated, Cinder watched the blonde use the controller in her hands to turn on the game system that currently sat underneath the television across the room - as well as the TV itself. With a few more button presses on the controller, she navigated to a game... _Cubecraft_... _What an interesting title_. Cinder thought to herself, wondering what exactly it could be about. As the game loaded, Yang explained how it was a sort of survival building game, made completely of cube-shaped blocks. She navigated through the menus, and it lead them to a list of _worlds_ , as she informed. Though, upon seeing the various titles - _i build shit, Coco-op, doing it HARDCORE_ \- one stood out, a bit like a sore thumb.

"What exactly is... _Dick Land?"_

Upon realizing what her friend was looking at, Yang let out a chuckle. "Coco and I were drunk."

Cinder could not help but crack at smile, as her mind began to fill with the many possibilities of what exactly _Dick World_ could entail. "Fascinating. I would love a tour."

Appearing surprised that the older woman would want to see that specific world, Yang shrugged in response, tapping the _A_ button on her controller to select the option. "Alright, well... strap in, or strap on." She instructed, passing a similar controller to the older woman.

While the world loaded, and the rectangular bar in the middle of the screen slowly filled up as the percentage under it grew, Cinder raised her brow. "Is that my cue to take mine out of my bag?" Of course that was an empty question, considering the only things in the gym bag that currently sat near the apartment's front door was a tank top and a pair of sweat pants. Even so, teasing her friend was amusing.

Turning to seemingly briefly gaze at said gym bag, Yang looked at Cinder with a curious expression on her face. "I was wondering why the bag was so big."

Cinder rolled her eye at the reaction. "Of course I am only kidding. I only brought my pyjamas, as per your texted instructions." _Well, if one could even call what I wear to bed pyjamas_. "As I mentioned earlier, I don't even own any toys of that nature."

"Oh, then what's with the big-ass gym bag?" Yang wondered.

"It was... all I had to use." Cinder admitted, somewhat ashamed that she did not even own a proper-sized bag. Thankfully, she would not have to dwell on that fact for very long, as the game world finally loaded, revealing a colourful collection of trees and hills, made completely of blocks. The first she noticed was a large wall, seemingly made of cubic bricks. Fumbling with the controls of the game, she managed to look around, and saw that a nearby bush formed a simple penis shape. Next, a nearby pond, also phallic. Then, as she backed away, the wall became a rather large tower, and two smaller turrets to the sides indicated that it too, was a penis.

"How wasted were you?" Cinder inquired, curious how such a world could come to be.

Yang paused for a moment, seemingly in thought, until she held her hands roughly a meter apart. "'Bout... _yay_ wasted."

Upon being given the _grand tour_ of the product of Yang and Coco's drunkenness, and being shown blocky recreations of every phallic object under the sun - most of which were _terribly_ constructed, for obvious reasons - Cinder came to a realization. _Those two are so... bizarre_. While her own drunken escapades with partners... or Nora, mostly led to sex, their versions caused them to go into a video game and build a land of blocky, dick-shaped creations. or... _erections_ , as the blonde would say, and likely _did_ say on whatever night she and her girlfriend decided to do that.

After a little while of messing around in _Dick Land_ , with Cinder even managing to build her own little phallic-shaped hut - which included an nice kitchen and a custom table, made from half-blocks, stairs, and carpet - it was finally time to prepare dinner. Switching off the game system, the two made their way into the kitchen. As Cinder watched her friend gather the ingredients for... whatever they were going to cook, she wondered something, continuing to drink her quickly emptying beer.

"Tell me, Yang, how exactly did _Dick Land_ come to be?"

Pulling out a handful of vegetables from the fridge, Yang placed them onto the counter. _Peppers, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots... What exactly does she have planned for us_? "It all started when I told her she needed to get wood..."

Cinder had a feeling she knew where that was going. "Let me guess, Coco replied with _that's what she said_ , or some other immature joke."

"Actually she said she wished she could get wood." Yang clarified. "'Cause bleedin' out every month is annoying."

" _Tell me about it_." Cinder mumbled under her breath, before turning back to her friend, who was currently taking a couple packages of raw chicken out of the fridge, as well as a package of noodles. "So then you proceed to build a land of dicks. Fascinating. Though I did spot an unfinished creation, did someone get a little _distracted?"_

Yang let out a chuckle. "That's when we started burping at each other."

Cinder only furrowed her brow. "I was referring to sex, but I suppose that would also be rather distracting."

"Beer breath isn't really great for romance, Cinder." Yang commented, as she brought out a large bottle of sauce from the fridge.

Cinder proceeded to raise her brow. "I would imagine that would not stop two drunks like yourselves."

"You'd be surprised." Yang mentioned, taking out a large pan, a pot, and a couple of cutting boards from a low cupboard, placing them onto the counter next to the ingredients. Pausing for a moment, she looked over everything she had taken out. "Alright, you ready to get cookin'?"

Cinder merely let out a small sigh, before raising the can in her hand to her lips and finishing her second drink. "As I'll ever be." And so the lesson began, but of course, not before Cinder was given another beer. She was using them as... _confidence boosters_ , and so far, they were working. Even after only a couple tall cans, she was already feeling more... _at ease_ , and less awkward.

It turned out that Yang's original plan for the _girls night_ was to make a huge amount of stir fry for everyone - seeing as there was still boxes upon boxes of ingredients in her fridge - but since it was just the two of them, she was going to teach Cinder how to make it, as well as add something a little... _extra_ to the mix. The blonde explained how they were the only ones who really liked spicy food, so since no one else was coming, they could turn the normal stir fry that she was _originally_ planning to make into something that might burn their tongues off. Or so she said. The older woman took that as a challenge.

The process began with cutting up the vegetables and meat. Cinder was fairly confident in her knife-wielding abilities - as she expressed the prior week - so she chose to handle it herself, starting with the vegetables, then moving onto the meat. While she did that, Yang explained the list of relatively simple tasks: boil the noodles, fry the meat, fry the vegetables, then finally mix it all together. That sounded easy enough. Well, at least it _should_ have been, if her friend had not _insisted_ on watching the process from right over her shoulder.

"You're doin' a great job, Cin."

Ceasing her cutting for a moment, Cinder narrowed her eye, realizing that the only person who had called her that recently... was Raven. "Your mother told you that she calls me that, didn't she?"

Yang only hummed. "She _might've_ let it slip."

Cinder just let out a sigh, knowing full well that her friend was not going to let that go. So she moved onto her next task of cutting up the chicken. "Very well."

"Does it bother you?" Yang asked.

Cinder shook her head a bit. "Not quite. It's merely... _different_ is all." _At least with you it doesn't fluster me._

"I think it's cute." Yang smiled, though it went unseen by the older woman.

"So does your mother." Cinder commented, without even thinking. _Damnit!_

Yang giggled at the accidental information. "Aw, great minds think alike."

"I suppose they do." Cinder agreed, unable to stop a smile from gracing her features. _Must be the alcohol_. "Now, if you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you moved your giant rear, so I don't cut myself."

Yang just laughed. "Please, everyone _loves_ my giant rear." She insisted, turning around and lightly hip checking her friend, slightly jostling her forward.

" _Hey_ , I have a knife-" Cinder began to scold, unintentionally lashing backward with her free hand, and striking something... _soft_ , which immediately let out a high-pitched yelp. "In my hand..." _And... I just spanked her. I just spanked not only my friend, but my boss' daughter... Fuck me._

After a moment of near-painful silence, Yang awkwardly cleared her throat. "J-Jeez, buy me dinner first, won't ya?"

Cinder merely resumed her cutting, attempting to focus on that and _only_ that. "You say while I currently prepare stir fry for us."

"Under my expert direction!" Yang added.

Cinder just rolled her eye, though not without a slight smile, as she completed her second task. "And what _wonderful_ direction it has been."

"Glad you think so!" Yang obviously grinned from behind her. "Now it's time to boil the noodles!"

"Yes ma'am." Cinder nodded a bit, setting aside the meat and vegetables to grab the pot that Yang had previously taken out. Filling that with water, she set it atop the stove and switched it on, causing the flame below to flicker alight. In order for things to go smoother, the blonde recommended that Cinder handle things one at a time, lest anything get screwed up, so for a few minutes, they simply waited around for the water to boil, in order for them to be able to cook the noodles. Though while they did, Cinder found herself thinking about her last shift at _The Perch_ , and who exactly she saw while working.

"So, has everything been alright with Weiss lately?" Cinder inquired. "I have been noticing she has been getting much more drunk every time she visits."

Yang was silent for a moment, before letting out a tired sigh. "It's not really my place to talk, she's just... going through some stuff."

Cinder could sense something was wrong, given how visibly tense the younger woman suddenly looked, but it was not really any of her business. "Understandable." She responded. "That said, are _you_ doing alright?"

Yang just shrugged. "As fine as I can I guess. Coco's been a big help."

"I can imagine." Cinder acknowledged. "While I have not seen much, you two seem perfect for each other."

Yang grinned at the compliment. "Oh, thanks, Cinder-"

"Just a couple of _goofballs_ , as it were." Cinder added, flashing a smirk at the blonde next to her.

 _"Hey!"_

* * *

"Hey, all things considered, you did a great job!"

Cinder could not help but smile, as she continued to eat the stir fry that she had somehow managed to put together. "I don't even taste the burned bits." She commented, which was thankfully inaccurate, as there were no part of the meal that was actually burned. In fact, it actually turned out rather well. So well in fact that both women had gone back for second servings. Though, of course that meant each of them needed _several_ extra beers in order to keep their tongues from getting overwhelmed by the spiciness of the sauce they used. Cinder thought that she might have been drinking too much of Yang's favourite craft beer, but the blonde assured her that she had _plenty_ of it.

"You sure that's not just the sauce?" Yang wondered, finishing the last of her second plate before taking a huge drink, letting out a satisfied breath upon swallowing.

Observing the collection of food on her fork, Cinder shrugged, taking the bite. "Probably."

After dinner had been finished, and the two had drank enough beer to negate the intense spiciness of the food - somehow neither of them thought to drink water or milk - Yang recommended for Cinder to get changed, so that she could would be _ready for an awesome night of movies, popcorn and candy_. While she was not exactly planning on staying the night, it certainly would be more comfortable to hang around in sweat pants than in skinny jeans, so she grabbed her gym bag and headed into the apartment's bathroom. The blonde did offer her bedroom to use, but Cinder would rather not be left alone in there, lest she let curiosity get the best of her and snoop around at all. That would not be polite. So, placing her gym bag onto the closed toilet - after using it of course, the beer was going right through her - Cinder retrieved her _pyjamas_ from it, putting them next to the sink, and stripped off her clothes, at least down to her underwear. Before removing her bra, as she normally would when changing into her pyjamas, she paused. Was she really comfortable with going braless around Yang? They had not known each other for _that_ long, and this was the first time she was in her apartment... Though, the amount of alcohol in her system was telling her not to care and just take it off, because she had already been wearing it for most of the day, and it was starting to become uncomfortable. Eventually, letting the alcohol get the better of her, she decided to just remove it, but keeping her sweater on, but unzipped, allowing her to both cover up her burned arm, as well as her chest if need be.

Once Cinder had successfully changed into her pyjamas, she exited the bathroom and returned to the main area of the apartment, finding a pile of DVDs on the coffee table, and Yang preparing what appeared to be microwave popcorn. It had been close to a year since she had partaken in such a treat, and it smelled delicious. After that was done - complete with melted butter - and the candy and more beer had been gathered, Yang sat them down on the living area couch to pick a movie. Thankfully it was not a long process, given their differing tastes in films, but dinner had gotten them both a _bit_ too intoxicated to care, so they just chose a sappy romantic comedy to start. Something about two sisters that lived together and were in love with the same guy. If she was being honest, Cinder was not paying _too much_ attention to it, due to both the alcohol, and how comfortable the couch was. It was... so nice...

All of a sudden, she both heard and _felt_ a chuckle from... above her. _Oh gods, what have I done now_? "Gettin' awfully comfy there, aren't ya?"

Furrowing her brow, Cinder tilted her head up, wondering what exactly her friend meant by that, only to realize that she had just been unknowingly leaning against the blonde, who was lying back herself, arm draped over the back of the couch. Normally she would have stiffened like a board, freaked out, or both, but thanks to all that craft beer, she felt no such instinct. Instead, she merely turned back toward the movie. "As a matter of fact, I am." Cinder informed, bringing her feet up onto the couch and adjusting her position to properly lie against her friend's shoulder. "I suppose you'll just have to deal with it."

Yang just softly chuckled, picking up the popcorn bowl as the older woman moved, then placing it down to sit on both of them. "You kinda sound like Rubes when you say that."

Cinder raised her brow at the response, mid-beer sip. "Oh, do I now?"

"Yep." Yang confirmed, taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl. "Back when she used to live with me, we used to spend a lotta nights just like this. Well, at least when she wasn't busy with her schoolwork, or Pyr, or other friends, or uh, y'know, stuff like that."

For a brief moment, Cinder was a tad confused, but soon remembered how the two sisters lived together for a few years after moving out of their family home. "I still can't _imagine_ how she managed to survive living with you for so long."

" _Hey_! We actually had a lotta fun together!" Yang insisted attempted to insist through a mouthful of popcorn. "Well, aside from the times when I had uh, _guests_ over, like the ones you heard about at Weiss' party... But still! It was nice havin' her around. Gave me an excuse to cook a lot more, since Rubes didn't really like it when we ordered in too much, and it really made the apartment feel like a home, 'cause... there was always someone for me to come home to. Of course we didn't do _everything_ together, we did have our own lives, as boring as mine was compared to hers, but it just... felt good care for someone again..."

Turning her head to look up at the blonde, Cinder flashed a smirk at her. "What a good big sister you are."

"Just like you seem to be with Nora." Yang added with a smirk of her own.

Cinder opened her mouth to offer a snarky response, but paused, instead taking a second and realizing just how accurate those words were. _Good gods I am Nora's big sister... who she sleeps with sometimes... That's a gross thought. Yang must be rubbing off on me as well_. "I suppose that's true."

After a moment of the two merely smirking at one another, Yang over-dramatically looked around the room... for some reason. "So tell me, have you two been _smooshin' booties?"_

Cinder narrowed her eye at the... strange question. "Have we been _what_ now?"

Yang did a sort of double-take, seeming confused that the older woman was not getting... whatever she was attempting to ask. "Clam jammin'? Belly bumpin'?"

Cinder only sat there, silent for several seconds, trying extremely hard to understand. _What the hell am I missing_? Then a thought occurred. _She was asking if anything had happened between us last week_... "Are you... referring to sex?"

Yang shrugged. "Well, if you wanna be _crude_ about it, I guess."

Cinder quirked a brow at the answer. "Says the one who's _constantly_ making _that's what she said_ jokes."

"Hey, if I don't say it someone else will, so _neugh_!" Yang insisted, poking out her tongue for childish emphasis.

Cinder kept her brow raised, looking down at the blonde's tongue with a curious gaze. "Hm, you should be careful about sticking out your tongue in front of me, Yang, lest something... _happen_ to it." She warned, thinking back to the time when Emerald used to do something similar, sticking out her tongue when she got _pouty_ , which would always lead to her girlfriend biting it. _Gods, she was so adorable when she did that..._

Yang merely grinned, sticking her tongue out again, farther this time. _"Mnnnn-mng!"_

"Are you completely sure you wish to take this route?" Cinder wondered, a smirk spreading across her face as an idea popped into her head. Was it a terrible idea? Probably, but was she still going to do it? Again, probably. She blamed the alcohol. As expected, her friend merely kept her tongue stuck out as far as she could manage. Cinder just continued to smirk. "You are playing with fire, Xiao Long, but very well." She shrugged, leaning up and actually lightly biting Yang's tongue with a sly grin, staring her right in the eyes as she did it. The blonde of course let out a half-yelp, given her current... _predicament_ , but then what followed the initial shock was a moment, where the two just... found themselves staring into each other's eyes, as time felt like it slowed to a crawl, until an... _unexpected_ response came, with Yang slowly leaning forward, her eyes closing as she pressed her lips against Cinder's own, causing her to not only release her tongue, but... instinctively return the kiss... as her own eye shut and she almost seemed to melt into the action. She was not entirely sure _why_ she did it, rather... it just happened.

The two began their slow, tender embrace, with the younger woman bringing her hand to gently cup Cinder's uncovered cheek, and the other moving from the couch to rest across her shoulders. Cinder came to a realization, even with her mind being a haze. Kissing Yang was so unlike kissing Nora. The latter was always excited, heated, _passionate_ , while this was... _gentle_ , as if they were testing the waters of... whatever this might come to be. There was no tongue, no removal of clothing or aggressive fondling, instead only their lips slowly kneaded against one another as the pair lost themselves in the kiss.

And things definitely would have progressed further, if not for one action. While Cinder was trying to decide if she should put her hands anywhere - considering they were just on her lap - she felt the hand that had been on her cheek begin to move lower, slowly sliding past her neck, down her chest, and... into her tank top, where it then took hold of her bare breast. At first, Cinder's intoxicated, unfocused mind only allowed her to let out a soft, kiss-muffled moan at the gentle touch, but upon feeling that hand cease its fondling, and a thumb begin to ever-so-slightly rub her admittedly sensitive nipple, which sent a shock through her entire being, her eye snapped open as what exactly was happening registered in her brain. Immediately reaching up to grab Yang's wrist, she pulled away from the kiss, suddenly feeling a wave of... _discomfort_ wash over her. _What... What have I done?_

On the other side of the couch, Yang was certainly not looking any better. With her wide-eyed gaze focused on her held wrist, her expression was that of... pure _shame_. While the older woman could not actually _read_ her thoughts, she could easy tell that the only thing on her mind was what they had just done, and she looked downright _horrified_ at her actions. Of course Cinder herself was fairly overwhelmed by the fact that she was just... touched in such a way, still feeling the lingering sensation upon her breast, but Yang... The realization that she had not only drunkenly made out with her fried, but fully _cheated_ on her still relatively new girlfriend caused tears to pool in her eyes, as she opened her mouth a few times, attempting to form some kind of response.

" _I-I..._ " Yang managed to whimper after several moments of unbearable silence, but soon trailed off, seemingly unable to continue as those tears began to stream down her face. " _S... Sorry..._ " She eventually spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. Shakily standing from the couch, Yang backed up a few steps before practically rushing to her room, almost slamming it behind her. Leaving Cinder, sitting on the couch, still in a daze.

 _This was... an exceptionally strange night._

* * *

Yang sat on her bed, legs drawn close to her body, and face laid buried in her hands as she quietly sobbed. Out of all the stupid bullshit that she had done in her life, this had to easily take the cake. She had hung around with bikers, bar hopped with a fake ID, essentially forced her own sister to take care of her when she got drunk, but _cheating on a partner_? That was something else entirely. Even letting herself _unintentionally_ do it while _intoxicated_ was just... absolutely _despicable_. Yang let out a shaky breath, wiping more tears from her face, though only making room for more tears. _At least Cinder stopped my dumb ass before I fucked up even further_... And the blonde was extremely thankful that her friend did, or else... she might not have stopped...

Unfortunately that did not change the fact that she _willingly_ kissed another woman while in a relationship, even... _groping_ her... It was _disgusting_. _Yang_ was disgusting. Just like... like _Neo_. An awful woman who cheated on who was probably the best girlfriend she had ever had, without a second thought. She was... a _whore_ , and Coco deserved better, _much_ better.

So, wiping more tears from her face, Yang un-curled herself, hesitantly took her scroll out of her short-shorts pocket, and navigated to her girlfriend's contact. If she was going to be a vile cheater, she would at the very least own up to it. Of course she would likely get herself dumped in doing so, but... that was okay. It was what she deserved for crossing that line.

After a few moments, Yang took a shaky breath, and pressed the _Call_ button. Almost shaking out of fear, she listened to the ringing tone in her ear, once, twice... Then came a sort-of click, signifying that the call had been accepted.

"Hey, what's up, Xiao Long?" Came Coco's cheerful voice, accompanied by what was essentially the background noise of an upper-class restaurant. Dull murmuring punctuated by the clicking of cutlery, as well as a faint hint of soft piano. Certainly a contrast to the normal setting that the brunette found herself in - also known as her girlfriend's apartment. Or... probably soon-to-be _ex_ girlfriend. "You havin' a fun night with the gals? Or did you miss my fine ass too much?"

"Is that Yang? Tell her I say hi!" Yang heard Ruby burst, which was quickly followed by some nearby hushing, most likely from Pyrrha. _"And sorry again we couldn't make it!"_

As the background noise of the restaurant started to become quieter, signalling that Coco was heading into a quieter area, she chuckled a bit. "And Big Red says hey."

Yang could only manage to sniffle, as she attempted to fight back tears. _"C-Coco... I-I... um..."_

Coco immediately realized something was wrong. "Shit, you okay? Did somethin' happen?"

" _I-I... I fucked up_." Yang mumbled, keeping her voice low, lest it break.

Coco likely raised a brow at the confession. "How so? Did ya beat someone too bad in a game? 'Cause I know how competitive you get when you're drunk..."

Yang merely swallowed, audibly, almost too horribly ashamed to admit what shameful act she had not only just participated in, but _instigated_. Betraying the trust that made up a relationship. She was pathetic. " _I... u-um_..." She took a shaky breath. _"I-I... made out with Cinder."_

Rather than questioning it, or yelling, or crying, asking why, or responding in _any_ way that the blonde could have _possibly_ expected, Coco just laughed. "How'd you manage that? Were you guys playin' _truth or dare_ or somethin'? 'Cause if you were, _please_ tell me one of you got that Vernal chick to embarrass herself, like uh, I dunno, daring her to lick someone's foot."

Normally, something like that would have made Yang laugh, or at the very least chuckle, but honestly... she could not believe what she was hearing. She just told her girlfriend that she _cheated_ on her, like the scum she could once ridicule, and... _nothing_? "Y-You're not... mad?"

"I mean, should I be?" Coco wondered, genuinely. "'Cause we said we'd keep things _light and breezy_ and stuff for a while, so if you wanna open things up a little and see other people as well, that's cool with me. Cinder is pretty hot after all."

Yang wiped more tears from her face. "I... I didn't really think you were serious, I mean..." She sniffled. " _I-I'm not... really good with that, or anything_..." She sniffled again, then let out a sigh. _"It's all really confusing..."_

There was a pause. "Man, you're really broken up about this, aren't you?"

Yang just sighed again, heavier this time. _"I'm being stupid. I'm sorry."_

"Maybe, but I'll tell you what, if you're feelin' _that_ bad about it, maybe we could try goin' on a real date?" Coco offered, likely with a smile. "Y'know, gettin' all dressed up, fancy, candle-lit dinner and all that shit, rather than the usual _gettin' wasted on your couch."_

Yang was... at a loss for words. Not only did her girlfriend not react at _all_ negatively to being told she was cheated on, but... she was asking her out on a date. Like... a proper date. Something that she had not experienced in... well, a long time. _Years_ in fact. _"I'd... I'd really like that, Coco."_

"Same here, _Yang_." Coco agreed, and teased by using her first name, something that the two did not do very often. Honestly, she was not quite sure why they always used their last names, it was just... something they did. A _relationship quirk_ , so to speak. "How 'bout next Friday then? It'd give the Reds some time to teach me how to function in an environment that I can't wear my PJs in. Or as you'd say, my _jam jams."_

Yang actually managed a slight chuckle, though it was a bit choked due to all the crying. "Sounds like a plan."

"See ya then, Xiao Long." Coco acknowledged, before pausing. "Oh, and uh, don't you go kissin' Cinder again. I don't care how hot she is." She added, likely with an adorable grin on her face. _What a tease._

Though her girlfriend could not see it, Yang weakly brought a hand up to her forehead in a salute. "Yes ma'am."

A chuckle was heard over the scroll call. "You're weird." Coco mentioned, clear amusement in her voice. "Have a good one, Yang."

Yang managed a small smile. "You know what you signed up for, but you too. See ya."

Upon hanging up the call, Yang just... stared at her scroll for several moments, utterly dumbfounded at what just happened. Not only did she still have a girlfriend, but they were going on a real _date_ next week. She still had absolute _no_ idea how the brunette could take such... _disgusting_ news so lightly, but at the same time... she was extremely relieved that she did. While she certainly deserved to be dumped for what she did, Yang could not take another breakup... not so soon... She was really happy with Coco... Unable to stop a stupid grin from spreading across her face, she let herself fall backwards onto her bed, closing her eyes and breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

 _Man, my girlfriend is pretty fuckin' awesome._

* * *

Of all the times Cinder had been left alone in someone's home, this was definitely among the most awkward. By a _long shot._

Of course when she was younger it was less serious. More often than not the owner would be passed out, or getting high, or laid. She always had the option of joining them, though she was rarely interested in sleeping with others so easily. It was quite a contrast to the current situation. Yang was still locked in her room, but the muffled sobs had long faded, so Cinder was merely... _waiting_ for her to come out. It was a tad boring due to the movie being paused, but she was a patient woman.

Although, now that Cinder was alone, it gave her a chance to think back upon what had happened before her friend ran off crying. If she was being honest, she could still not believe that they just made out. Reaching up with both hands, one lightly touch her lips, the other her breast, she could still feel... _phantom sensations_ of the kiss, as well as the gentle groping. While she had been _exceptionally_ shocked that Yang kissed her, and rather uncertain regarding her thoughts about what they did not long ago, now that her mind was clearing, there was also part of her that was now beginning to... _regret_ stopping it, as she became rather curious as to what it could have become if they went all the way. Of course Cinder was perfectly aware that Yang currently had a girlfriend, but at the same time, she knew for a fact that the blonde would not have even _considered_ making out with her - let alone fondling her breast - if everything was truly alright, even taking into account that she was a tad drunk. Yang was not that kind of person, meaning there had to be something else going on. Though if anything, it was probably neglect of intimacy.

Eventually, the sound of a door opening was heard, and Cinder turned to find Yang hesitantly coming out of her room. Her eyes were still red from all the sobbing, but she certainly looked better than when she left. Slowly making her way into the living room, she sat back down onto the couch, though noticeably farther from the older woman than before, and not even making eye contact, likely out of regret of what happened. After a few moments of silence, with Cinder simply waiting for her friend to be ready, Yang spoke, her voice low, eyes remaining stuck to the floor in front of them.

"I uh, I'm sorry for what I did... Didn't realize how much I drank and... I made a stupid decision." She mumbled, seemingly unable to look up at her friend. Then she chuckled a bit, though it was not exactly _cheerful_ , rather... a sad chuckle. "Thought I didn't care about sex 'cause of my last... well, _non-relationship_ , but uh, guess not."

That was just about all Cinder needed to hear. _So it is neglect_. Moving across the couch, she raised a leg up over Yang's, shifting her position until she was fully straddling the blonde, sitting atop her thighs.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Yang managed after a moment, appearing extremely confused as to why the older woman was currently on top of her, especially given that she was the one who broke their earlier embrace.

"I would like to know what it is you want." Cinder informed. "Because there is absolutely no shame in wanting these things if your current partner can't or won't provide them." In truth, having Yang cheat on her girlfriend was not exactly the ethical option, but Cinder knew what it felt like to be denied of her urges, by a certain little bitch that they both once called a partner. So perhaps this was something she needed. Cinder was able to see the hesitant temptation in Yang's gaze, the way her eyes kept wandering downward before snapping back up, hands threatening to move from their place at her sides. If she was being honest, part of her hoped that the blonde would make some sort of move, as the curiosity of what could happen between them was still very much present. Yang was an exceptionally attractive woman after all, and seeing as Cinder was a technically-single individual who was just kissed and fondled by her - and likely had little to no chance with the one she actually had a crush on - she could not help but be a little... well, turned on by the thought of _continuing where they left off_ , so to speak. Part of her wanted to be kissed more, to be _touched_ more...

After a few moments spent in silence, with the older woman wondering what exactly her friend was going to do about her offer, Yang merely began to lean in. Though, rather than doing so for a kiss on the lips, cheek or neck, she rested her head on Cinder's shoulder, arms raising to wrap around her back for a gentle hug. While certainly unexpected, Cinder brought her own arms up to reciprocate, one hand lightly patting the blonde's head. The hug was nice, but if she was being honest, the more selfish part of her - as well as the _horny-Nora_ part - was rather disappointed that her offer was not being accepted. Once they separated, Yang offered a small smile. "Thanks for the offer, but I uh, I can't. I-I mean, you're really beautiful, and it's crazy to think you'd wanna... well, s-sleep with me, but things are good with Coco, and I don't wanna fuck that up." She explained, her gaze falling slightly. "I also appreciate you bein' straight with me-" Then she chuckled a bit. "Even if that doesn't describe either of us, and uh, y'know, not smacking me for kissin' you."

Out of everything that her friend just said, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb. So much so that she was legitimately taken aback by it. "You... think I'm beautiful?" Even saying that out loud sounded ridiculous. The only person that could ever find _her_ beautiful, at least in her... _current state_ , was Nora, but that was merely due to her unconditional love for everything. Well, either that or her incredibly low standards.

Yang merely looked up at the older woman, seemingly puzzled by the question. "Cin, you're fucking _gorgeous_! And the burns don't take away from that. Hell, the mask gives you this _sexy mysterious_ vibe and it's doin' things for me."

"Things such as... persuading you to grab a nice handful of my bare breast?" Cinder wondered with a smirk. _Which then caused me to become turned on at the idea of fucking you._

Yang just laughed. "Oh shut up. I'm lucky that Coco was so cool about all this, even offerin' to share me with you."

Cinder immediately raised her brow. _Her girlfriend is allowing her to sleep with me... and she said no_? "Hold on a moment. So you're telling me that you're passing up the opportunity to date _two_ women? One of whom is currently straddling you, and willing to go all the way? I must ask, have you truly thought about this?"

Yang let out a chuckle, surely realizing her current situation. "I mean it sounds kinda crazy when you put it like that, but I dunno... Like, if we fucked right now, I'd feel like I was going behind Coco's back, even though she said it's fine... O-or if she came over another night and we banged, I'd feel like I was going behind yours, and I just... It'd make me feel like _Neo..."_

Cinder actually fully laughed at the admission. "Yang please, the idea of you being _anything_ like that little bitch is fucking _absurd_. She's a misanthrope with sociopathic tendencies that stem from her inability to socially connect with others. She resented us, Yang, _hated_ us even, because we can do what she cannot. So, she looked down upon us, projected an air of superiority, when in truth, shew was attempting to hide the fact that _she_ was the inferior one." Cinder then reached up to gently cup the blonde's face, staring her down with her single, golden eye. "Do not insult yourself, Yang. You are _nothing_ like her."

After a moment, Yang offered a warm, beautiful smile. "Thanks, Cin. You're too sweet."

 _I guess she's calling me Cin now_. "I wasn't always. Believe it or not, I actually used to be like Neo, for my own reasons, and it took being with Neo to shine a light on my own self loathing, and ultimately prompt Emerald into pushing me that final step of realizing what I was." Cinder explained, her gaze falling a bit. "I hated Neo, I hated how she acted, hated how she _treated_ people, hated that she did it all without a word spoken, and always with a fucking smile. And when I realized that I was looking at a mirror it almost destroyed me. The only reason I current sit before you- or I suppose _atop_ you, is because, much like yourself, being with that sociopath led me to someone better."

Yang remained quiet for a moment. "Huh, I guess you're right." Then she chuckled. "You could say that we got fucked into better relationships."

Cinder could not help but chuckle as well. "I suppose you could." _Figuratively and literally._

"We should totally toast to that." Yang added. "You want a water? Since uh, I think we've both had enough to drink tonight."

"I would like that, thank you." Cinder agreed. "But in a second, there is something I must do first." She informed, which seemed to visibly confuse her friend, only leading her to grin. Reaching up with both hands, she gripped the back of Yang's neck, held her for a moment, before leaning in and pulling her into a deep kiss, causing the blonde to let out a shocked, muffled squeak, not quite kissing back, but also not resisting. It was not her intention to initiate another make-out session, so she kept her lips closed for several seconds before slowly pulling away, the sound of their lips separating accentuated by the silence. Though, while their faces were still barely a couple inches apart, Cinder smirked. "I suppose that makes us even." She almost whispered, giving her cheek a couple light taps before completely pulling away, leaving her friend blushing like a tomato, and utterly speechless as she lowered her arms. Then her gaze briefly wandered down a bit, giving her another idea. Keeping her smirk at Yang, she reached up again to take hold of one of her exceptionally large breasts, and gave it a firm squeeze - similarly to how she had her own breast fondled not long ago - eliciting a squeak from her friend. After lowering her arm, she finally dismounted Yang and sat back in her original seat, once again leaving the blonde unable to form a response. " _Now_ we're even." Well, almost. While Yang got the opportunity to touch her bare chest, there was a shirt in Cinder's way, though a single layer did not stop her from being able to feel the younger woman's nipple, which only made the grab more... _exciting_.

After a few moments, Yang finally seemed to regain her senses, though her blush was still quite strong. "R-Right, uh, so y-you want that water now?"

Cinder merely smirked at Yang's stammering. It was adorable, and honestly, it felt... _good_ to be able to act like she once did. To be _confident_ again, even if it was at the cost of embarrassing her friend. "I would."

"A-Alright, then uh, I-I'll get right on that." Yang nervously answered, getting up off the couch and slowly making her way into the kitchen. A couple minutes later, she returned with a couple glasses of water, handing one to the older woman as she sat down next to her, once again noticeably farther than before. Which was understandable. It was probably best for them to not be within cuddling distance for a little while.

Once her friend was settled, Cinder raised her glass, deciding it would be a better idea to get back onto their previous topic. "While we may have been fucked in several ways by that little bitch, said fucking led us into far superior, _healthier_ relationships."

Yang smiled, holding out her glass of water. "To getting literally fucked into better relationships." And their glasses met with a clink, before the two took their respective sips. "So uh, what was yours like? I mean, w-with Emerald. I-If you don't mind me asking of course, 'cause I know that's a bit of a sensitive topic for you..."

While it was not exactly a topic she _wanted_ to discuss, as she did not want to ruin their pleasant evening - even counting what happened with their accidental make-out session - Cinder shook her head. "It's quite alright, Yang. When... we first became a couple, things... _changed_ for me. I was able to stop forcing myself into.. _hostile extroversion_ , and just allowed Emerald to take the reigns for the most part. The lack of stress that stemmed from that rendered me... _calmer_ , and Emerald showed herself perfectly capable of making important decisions for us. It was a bit odd at first, to just let someone else take control, but I quickly got used to it. Which then led us to moving into a small yet comfortable apartment, working _nine till five_ jobs that we were good at. While Neo was... admittedly horrible, I must thank her, as her dumping me allowed me to find the woman I believed I could spend the rest of my life with..." Then Cinder's haze fell. "At least, so I thought..." She sniffled, feeling the sudden need to fight back tears. "After the trial, the savings I had didn't last as long as I thought... The legal fees were apparently paid for, but... the apartment we once shared was not cheap..." Then those years began to pool in her eye. "I... I had to give it up, the last thing I had ever shared with her... Now all that's left are photos I cannot bear to see, and a-a ring... a-and all it does is remind me... that s-she's gone..." Upon finishing that last word, the tears finally began to stream down her face as she broke down to softly cry, turning away from her friend so that she could hide her face. _So much for not ruining our night..._

There was a few moments of near-silence, with the only sounds being heard were those of the older woman's quiet sobs, until Cinder felt the blonde move closer to her. While she expected Yang to put an arm around her, or reassuringly grasp her hands, but instead, she was actually pulled into a tight hug, eliciting a slight gasp. Though, Cinder did not resist the hug at all, rather... she embraced it, nuzzling into the crook of her friend's neck, as if savouring the feeling. In truth, it was likely what she needed right now. No talking, or attempts at telling her everything was alright, just... a quiet hug between friends.

And so that is where the two remained for a time, merely sitting on the couch in silence, with Cinder laying against the younger woman, strong arms wrapped around her body, one of them gently rubbing her back as she slowly began to calm down. It was... nice, _peaceful_...

After a few quiet minutes, Yang decided she would be the first one to speak. "Hey... you wanna... stay the night?"

Without even looking up at her friend, Cinder quirked her brow, certainly curious to know what exactly brought this... _change of heart_ , so to speak. "Having second thoughts about my offer, are we?" _A good fuck could certainly help with the pain. It always does with Nora._

Yang only let out a chuckle, signifying that the older woman was incorrect in her guess. _A shame, really_. "Y'know we _can_ sleep in the same apartment without uh, _sleepin' together_ , right?"

Cinder merely smirked. "I do, but where's the fun in that?" Though it went unseen, her friend once again could not help but blush, as the question likely caused a few rather inappropriate thoughts to fill her mind. "Though, as generous as your offer is, I will have to decline, as there is a bit too much temptation to be found here." _Seeing as how you did not kick me out after I kissed and groped you._

"I guess, but I don't want you walking home in your current state, especially with how late it already is." Yang countered. "So if I've gotta resist you all night, then so be it."

Cinder merely smiled from her position still lying against her friend. "Thank you for caring about me."

Yang chuckled a bit. "Well thanks for not leaving immediately after I kissed you, or y'know, groping your tit."

Cinder just tilted her head to smirk up at the younger woman. "It didn't mind." _And neither did I._

Yang quirked a brow. "Oh yeah?" She wondered with a smirk of her own. "I _definitely_ couldn't tell from the straddling, kissing, groping _or_ offering to fuck me _after_ the fact."

Cinder could not help but chuckle a bit. Perhaps she _may_ have gone a bit overboard with that, but it felt remarkably good to be confident again. Plus it was admittedly a lot of fun teasing her friend. "Careful, your ego is inflating."

"I mean, can ya blame me?" Yang seemed to genuinely inquire. "A sexy older woman offered to sleep with me not too long ago. You try staying humble after somethin' like that!"

Cinder immediately furrowed her brow at the admission. "Ah, I see, I'm a cougar now." _Well, certainly not the worst thing that I've been called._

Yang actually laughed in response, which the older woman certainly felt, considering her current position. "To be fair, you did offer to bang someone ten years younger than you." She defended. "But I will admit, if I wasn't already with Coco, we'd probably be goin' at it right now. So uh, I dunno, blame her for gettin' to me first."

Before tonight, Cinder would like have never agreed with something like that - at least after she grew out of her bitchy, narcissistic personality - but after what happened between the two... she was actually beginning to feel a bit... _envious_ of the blonde's girlfriend. To be able to date such a beautiful, kind, admittedly funny and overall wonderful woman... "How dare she."

Yang let out another laugh at the reaction. "I'll tell you what, if I ever become alright with the idea of dating multiple people, Coco says it's okay, and you're still single by then, I'll give you a call."

Cinder knew the offer had to be at least partially a joke, considering the chances of something like that happening were next to none. Mostly for two reasons: those two seemed to be perfect for one another, and the likelihood of her friend suddenly being open to the idea of a polyamorous relationship was fairly low. Though even still, she could not help but smile.

"I will have to hold you to that, Yang."

* * *

Coco woke up screaming, afraid to even open her eyes.

It was a nightmare. It was always a fucking nightmare, and sadly this time was no different. Though she was beginning to become aware of the real sensations around her - the sound of her voice, the sweat on her skin, the loud thumping of her heartbeat, and the blankets tangled around her legs - she was still shaking... scared to death that if she opened her eyes... she would find herself back in her nightmare.

It began as most others did, with Coco finding herself in the lobby of the floor that Velvet worked on, waiting for her to clock out for the day. She was talking to... someone, she could not see their face clearly. All she saw was Velvet. Then a flicker caught her eye. Coco turned toward the source, and her heart started racing... as she saw flames appear on the other side of the glass, spreading rapidly. She attempted to get inside, but found that there was no door all of a sudden, just a window wall. So she tried to break it, but upon looking back, saw that the lobby was empty, with nothing to hit the glass with. Coco started beating on it with her bare fists, merely... _watching_ as the flames reached Velvet, climbing her legs. In the end... she could only stand there, watching as the love of her life was engulfed in flames... Coco screamed her name, but... nothing came out.

Then she woke up, sweating, panting, _shaking_ , and clutching her sheets harder than she ever had in recent memory. _It's not real, it's not real, it's not real_... Coco wished that she was at Yang's place. She never had any nightmares there, likely due to their drinking, but still. Dulled senses were a hell of a lot better than fearing going back to sleep.

A vague awareness of sounds and movement suddenly drew her attention, and upon hesitantly opening her eyes, found wide silver ones staring back at her, warm hands covering her own. It was Ruby.

"Coco, are you alright? You're shaking... Did you have another nightmare?"

Upon registering that is really was her friend, Coco immediately wrapped her arms around the younger woman, pulling her as close to her chest as she was physically able to with her trembling arms. It elicited a slight gasp from Ruby, but she thankfully returned the hug, arms reaching around her back. All Coco wanted was the warmth and comfort that the embrace offered, and after a minute or two, she began to slowly calm down. When she opened her eyes once more, Pyrrha was sitting beside them, hand gently atop her thigh.

"Would you like us to stay?"

Coco merely nodded a bit, unable to find the strength to speak.

Offering a small smile, Pyrrha slowly raised off of the bed and quietly made her way out of the room, leaving her wife and friend alone, but soon returning with two pillows. She then moved Ruby's head, carefully sliding the pillow under her head, and placed the other behind Coco. Grabbing the sheet that the was currently tangled around the other two, Pyrrha moved it to cover them properly, even tucking them in like the good mother she will likely eventually be. After she was certain they were comfortable - which Coco definitely was - Pyrrha climbed into the bed, positioning herself behind the brunette, and wished her friend goodnight.

And so the morning came, and unlike through the first half of the night, Coco slept like an absolute baby.

As she began to come to consciousness, and slowly regained the feeling of her body, she became aware of the pressure not only on her front-side, but on her backside as well. It took a moment to realize what those could be, but upon doing so, Coco found herself... rather confused. _Are they... still here_? Of course she did not think that they would just get up and leave in the middle of the night after she fell asleep, but... to be still there at what was likely a late hour of the morning, possibly even the early afternoon?

Almost hesitantly opening her eyes, Coco found that her friends were indeed still in her bed, and... much closer to her than she _ever_ would have expected. Currently clinging to her was Ruby, arms wrapped around her torso, and face buried in her chest. It was... adorable, and the sound of her soft breathing only pushed the cuteness levels through the roof. What made it worse was Coco turning her head to see what was behind her, and finding Pyrrha... spooning her. Pyrrha was _spooning her_ , strong arms pulling her close, and... sizable breasts pressing against her back... This was too much. Receiving affection from those two was a fairly common occurrence - especially from _Big Red_ \- but this... this was something else entirely. That was not to say that it was _unpleasant_ in any way, rather... it was a lot to take in to find two married women cuddling her in such a way.

Then she felt Ruby stir, arms tightening around her a bit as she snuggled closer into her chest. Coco thought, and somewhat hoped that she was merely adjusting herself as she slept, but it turned out... not so much. After a few moments of blush-inducing chest-snuggling, Ruby moved upward, growing closer to Coco until her lips met the brunette's collar for a quick peck, before she moved back down for more cuddling.

 _"Mmmmm... Mornin' Pyr..."_

It seemed _Big Red_ thought that she was her wife. Normally, that would have made Coco laugh, or at the very least chuckle, seeing her friend so tired that she mistook her for Pyrrha, but this time made her feel... something else. She was not quite sure what it was, but what she did know was that she did not want to let go of this embrace. Not just not wanting to get up - which she did not - but... wanting to keep holding her friend, and keep getting held by her other friend, because being in their arms made her feel... _safe_. It was a bit similar to how falling asleep with Yang felt, yet... so very _different_ , in a way that Coco was unable to explain.

Then came another voice, this time from behind her, and unfortunately, it only made things worse.

" _Good morning, Coco_." Pyrrha whispered, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss upon the back of her friend's neck. Once again, usually a peck like that would bring out a giggle due to the tickling sensation, but this time... it caused a different reaction.

Coco shivered.

* * *

Cinder awoke feeling... _refreshed_ , and quite comfortable. Well, aside from the familiar weight that was currently pressing down on her body.

 _Why must that girl always end up sleeping on top of me_? Cinder wondered to herself, letting out a sigh as she reached up to gently pet Nora's head, and... finding a lot thicker and longer hair than she expected. Though considering that she just woke up, a _tad_ hungover, and was still getting her bearings, she did not think anything of it. Instead, without even opening her eye, she smirked. _I apologize for this, but unfortunately for you, nature is calling._

So, with one swift motion, Cinder turned her body, pushed with one of her arms, and dumped the _redhead_ onto the floor with a loud thump, eliciting a high-pitched yelp. Though... it did not at all sound like Nora's signature yelp... _But then... Wait a minute_... Hesitantly cracking open her eye, Cinder peeked down at the floor, where she found an extremely surprised, yet still dazed Yang, who was rubbing her hip... reminding her that she was not in fact at home, and the prior night with the blonde did indeed happen. _Well, shit._

Upon looking up at the older woman who just pushed her still-asleep form off the couch, a freshly-awake Yang quirked a brow, before yawning. "Is uh, there a reason you pushed me off of you? I'm not _that_ heavy, am I?"

Wiping the sleep from her eye, Cinder shook her head. "Thankfully no, I merely... mistook you for Nora. That's all." Unfortunately, the moment she finished speaking, she regretted it, considering what she might have just revealed.

Yang just furrowed her brow at the answer. "You... thought I was Nora? How did..." Then she trialed off, seemingly realizing something, and smirking. "Wait, _why_ would you compare me to Nora if I was sleepin' on top of ya?"

 _And there it is_. Thankfully, Cinder was somewhat prepared, even in her fairly tired state. "Because she's my _trauma teddy_ , as she puts it. Now make me breakfast."

Slowly lifting herself up into a sitting position, Yang kept her smirk strong. "Oh yeah, is she also your _pillow buddy?"_

If she was being honest, Cinder was not entirely sure what that even meant, though given the context, she was sure that it had something to do with sex. It was likely a synonym for Nora's _boop buddies_ phrase, though there was _no way_ she was going to discuss that topic. Instead, Cinder merely audibly sniffed the air, looking to her friend with a curious gaze. "I cannot smell cooking."

"Just like _we_ were almost _pillow buddies_." Yang teasingly added, raising her arms to stretch.

Cinder merely raised her brow as she herself raised into a sitting position. "I seem to remember _you_ were the one who declined." Which even now, she could not believe. After all, not only did she offer to sleep with Yang on _the first date_ \- which their _girls night_ would have been if they actually had fucked - but both she and Coco told her than they were alright with _sharing her_ , so to speak. So why the blonde turned down the offer was beyond her.

"Not important." Yang attempted to insist. "Still doesn't change the fact that you wanted to _sleep with me_!" She teased.

Cinder could not help but grin slightly at her friend. "Sleeping with your boss' daughter is a power move, supposedly." _Especially when the boss is the one you actually have a crush on._

"So is grabbing her tit, _very_ aggressively I might add." Yang commented.

"I believe you started it." Cinder reminded, even now still being able to feel slight _phantom sensations_ on the breast that her friend had fondled the prior night.

Yang just raised both hands in what appeared to be defeat at first. "I plead insanity."

Cinder only chuckled a bit, not quite expecting that defense. "Denied. I saw the genuine temptation in your eyes." _And gods damn was it strong_. The selfish part of her could only wish that the blonde would have acted upon that temptation and desire. Perhaps then it would be easier to accept that a certain other woman would likely never end up accepting her feelings. _Oh well._

"Well, I saw sexiness in yours." Yang countered, a sly smirk spreading across her face.

Cinder just rolled her eye. "And yet you did _nothing_ with that opportunity." Something that the she would likely never understand.

"Hey! I'm trying to be a responsible adult." Yang attempted to defend, though with not much luck.

"By not making your guest breakfast." Cinder added.

Yang was silent for a moment, merely staring up at her friend. "Touché." She finally accepted, picking herself up off the floor and walking around into the little kitchen, where she opened up the fridge and began taking various ingredients out. Eggs, bacon, milk, cheese... The older woman had heard many things about how delicious Yang's cooking was, so she could honestly not wait to see what she made.

Looking up over the back of the couch and wall partition that separated the living area and kitchen, Cinder grinned at the blonde, even though it went unseen, as she was currently beginning to prepare breakfast for them. "That's a good girl."

As she began whisking a bowl of raw eggs, Yang chuckled. "Now you're just exploiting my hospitality."

Cinder only kept grinning, hoping that her friend would look back, even for a second, to see her smug expression. "No, I'm exploiting your rather submissive nature."

Turning to face the older woman, Yang's lips drew tight, one finger raising as if to make a point, before retracting. "I'll just shut up now."

Cinder took that as a sign of victory. "Like the good girl you are." She teased, to which the younger woman merely grumbled a bit as she switched on the stove and poured the eggy mix into a pan. It appeared that the blonde was making scrambled eggs. _Splendid_. She liked scrambled eggs. _Let's see if they can beat Nora's._

Once Cinder was finished teasing her friend, who was mostly occupied with cooking their breakfast, she decided it was time to visit the restroom to finally relieve herself. After that was done, she returned to the living area before heading into the kitchen. She asked Yang if she required her assistance with anything, but the blonde assured her that she had everything under control, and that the older woman should just relax while she cooked. So, that was what Cinder did. Plopping down onto the couch, she just... _waited_ , and _relaxed_ as she was told to, which ultimately boiled down to playing on her scroll. She considered texting Nora, but figured it was still a bit early to be contacting her. After all, whenever she had clients at night, it would quite often result in her having to be up until the early hours of the morning - sometimes even pulling _all nighters_. Which in that case, meant she was most likely still sleeping. In the end, Cinder just settled on idly scrolling through social media forum pages while she and Yang chatted.

And one absolutely _incredible_ breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast later - one that even gave Nora's a run for her money - it was finally time for Cinder to head home. After heading to the bathroom to change into her clothes from the prior day, as there was no way she was going to go home in her pyjamas, she met Yang at the door so that her friend could see her off.

"Oddities and... _unexpected_ decisions aside, I had a wonderful night, Yang. Thank you for inviting me." Cinder smiled, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders, pulling her into a brief hug, which Yang quickly reciprocated. When they separated, she leaned in once more to plant a gentle kiss upon her cheek. "Don't get too lonely without me." Cinder almost-whispered into Yang's ear, pulling back to smirk at her.

With a slight blush tinting her cheeks, Yang let out a chuckle. "You're not makin' it easy."

Cinder only smirked at her friend. "And I never will." To which Yang just pouted, quite adorably if she was being honest. Although, while she was unsure why, given how happy her friend had been since the prior day, but upon donning her shoes, she found herself reminded of the last week, when she had that encounter with Rose's friend from out of town. "May I... ask you a question?"

Yang just shrugged. "Sure, what's up?"

"That woman, Blake, something happened between you two, didn't it?" Cinder guessed as she stood up, hoping she was incorrect, but having the feeling she was not at all. Especially judging from how the blonde practically ran out of the bar the moment she laid eyes upon the Faunus.

Yang's relatively chipper expression immediately faltered upon hearing that. "Oh... yeah, kinda."

"How long ago?" Cinder wondered.

Yang let out a sigh. "Years... graduation- _high school_ grad... didn't... didn't go to college..." She admitted, gaze falling to the floor. "I uh, kissed her while drunk instead of confessin' properly, and... then she moved away..."

"And then?"

"Then... I couldn't bring myself to contact her..." Yang continued, her voice low. "We haven't talked since..."

"What about last week?" Cinder inquired, starting to get the feeling that her friend had kept this issue to herself for a long time.

Yang merely shrugged a bit. "I mean, you saw me, ran out the second I saw her..."

"And if she comes again?" Cinder added, curious to know if the blonde would simply run away again.

Yang remained silent for a few seconds, likely wondering what she would do herself. "I dunno, I just... can't..."

"And if she were to be hit by a car tomorrow?"

Yang opened her mouth to respond, but end up just looking to the floor. "I... don't know..."

Cinder let out a sigh, knowing exactly how poorly running away from one's problems always went. "Just call her. For crying out loud, what if she actually _died_ tomorrow? You want to live with the fact that you were too scared to talk to her, what will you say at her funeral? Will you even have the guts to go?"

" _I don't know_!" Yang burst, slightly startling the older woman. "I... I suck at this, Cinder, all this feelings crap, I've always sucked at it. I never know what to do, and then I do something stupid by accident, and it hurts."

Raising an arm, Cinder gently laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I understand that, Yang, I truly do, but what do you _want_? Because you won't get anywhere from just hiding from her."

Yang was silent for a moment again. "I just... want everything to go back to normal."

"Then take the necessary steps to get things back to normal." Cinder pressed, tightening her grip on the blonde's shoulder a bit.

Yang only sighed. "I've spent the last five years making a complete dick of myself."

"Then get off your lovely ass and make up for it." Cinder instructed. "Yang, do you know how much I _wish_ I could be in your position? To be able to just... go back to normal with a simple scroll call?" The younger woman's mouth opened as she looked back up, before her eyes bulged, and it shut again, her expression chastised, gaze falling once more. "All you have to do is take that leap, and call her. I imagine the worst that could happen would be she doesn't want to talk to you, but then at least you'll know, and you can move on."

Yang struggled to make eye contact. "I... don't even know what to say."

"Think about it then. I'm sure you'll come up with something." Cinder assured, taking a step forward to wrap her friend in a gentle hug, one which the blonde almost hesitantly reciprocated. Once they separated, she smiled. "Thank you for the lovely evening, Yang. Even if it did get a tad... _heated."_

After a moment, Yang managed a smile in return. "Thanks for coming... Best ladies night ever?"

With that response, Cinder could not help but smirk, as a fun little idea popped into her head. "It could have been, but you had to be _responsible_ and ruin my fun." She faux-scoffed, causing her friend's eyes to widen in legitimate surprise, only making her giggle. _You are so easy to tease_. "I'm kidding. It was... quite enjoyable."

"Maybe we can... do it again sometime?" Yang wondered, obvious hope creeping into her voice.

"I would like that, though perhaps we ensure the others can make it next time, lest they miss out on all the... _fun_ we had again." Cinder agreed, a smirk spreading across her face, as she thought back again to how they almost slept together.

Yang let out a chuckle, bringing up a hand to rub the back of her head. "Maybe not _that_ much fun..."

Cinder only kept smirking, thinking of the future possibilities. "I don't know, Yang, I for one would _love_ to see you make out with Vernal, or grab a handful of what little breast Weiss has, or perhaps even let Nora have some fun with you."

Yang just pouted, once again rather adorably. She appeared to be... how did the kids say it? _Done with Cinder's shit_? Yeah, that sounded about right. "I hate you."

Cinder could not help but chuckle. "That doesn't sound like something a _good girl_ would say."

"Weren't you supposed to be all silent and weird?" Yang questioned, very likely wishing the older woman was still like that in the current situation. It certainly would have saved her a lot of teasing.

"That was before I started to get comfortable with you." Cinder admitted as she opened up the apartment's front door.

Yang only smiled at the older woman. "Aw."

Turning to face her friend once more, Cinder offered a sly grin to the blonde. "Now be a good girl and say you love me before I go."

Yang just stared at the older woman for a moment, seemingly taken aback by the odd request. "Now you're just being evil."

Cinder then brought a hand up to her ear, simply waiting, her grin still strong. _"I'm not hearing anything..."_

Yang let out a heavy sigh in response, finally giving up. " _Fine_ , I love you, now go give Nora a kiss."

Cinder's grin only grew as she leaned in closer. " _Good girl_. But if you want to kiss Nora, you will have to come do it yourself. She's quite affectionate you know." After standing back up straight, Yang pursed her lips, and proceeded to shut the door in her friend's face, which only caused her to fully laugh. "Love you too, Yang."

Cinder was going to get a lot of mileage out of that one.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!

Because as always, your feedback fuels us!


End file.
